While Tuesday's NFL trade deadline was busy, the day came and went without the San Francisco 49ers making a trade. On Thursday, general manager John Lynch explained the lack of action.
In an interview on KNBR, Lynch discussed the challenge of giving the current team its best chance to compete while keeping resources, such as draft picks, for the future.
"That's the needle you have to thread," Lynch explained, H/T David Bonilla, 49ers Webzone. "We've done it a lot in the past, where we've given up a lot. Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey—just about every year we've made one. We made a bunch this year. But you have to stay true.
"And that's not to say we weren't going to do anything, but we weren't going to get fleeced," he continued. "We weren't going to overpay. It's just not good business. And as they say, sometimes the best deals you do are the ones you don't do. And I felt like, in this case, we felt like, as an organization, that was the best course, and as I mentioned before, we have a lot of belief."
On the surface, the 49ers would seem like an ideal team to have a busy deadline. They enter a big Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams at 6-3, firmly in the race for both the NFC West title and one of the NFC Wild Card spots. They're also dealing with a rash of injuries, particularly on defense, with veteran stalwarts Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, along with star rookie Mykel Williams, all out for the year. So, there was definitely room to improve.
Lynch also clarified that the lack of moves wasn't due to a lack of trying. But in the end, the 49ers just didn't feel the players they were after were worth the asking price.
"We were in on a lot of players," the GM said. "Sometimes it was just a one-year rental, and we really didn't want to get involved in that. Not to say that we wouldn't. And then, is the player a true needle-mover, a difference-maker? And if you can't say that, well then, really good draft picks, that doesn't make much sense either, just to throw somebody else in the mix, because we like the guys we have."