The San Francisco 49ers wanted wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but they weren’t able to work out a deal with the New York Giants. Instead, Beckham went to Cleveland in exchange for a first-round pick, third-round pick and safety Jabrill Peppers.
While the 49ers ultimately came up short, it wasn’t for a lack of trying, says 49ers CEO Jed York.
While speaking to a pool of reports at the NFL’s annual meetings in Arizona on Sunday, York said the team was very aggressive in their pursuit of a trade for Beckham, but simply weren’t willing to part with the No. 2 overall pick.
“We were definitely in it,” York said via NBC Sports. “We were aggressive. But I think (the Giants) wanted different things than we had to offer. I think it would have been very hard for us to just give up a first-round pick and not get a ton in return, other than just the player, knowing that the second pick in the draft is a very, very valuable pick.”
For the 49ers, missing out on Beckham was their second major whiff in a calendar year. Previously, they had made an attempt to acquire edge rusher Khalil Mack from the Oakland Raiders, but he ended up going to the Chicago Bears.
York and the 49ers will continue to poke around for a superstar, but eventually, they’re going to have to pony up. There was no way they were getting Beckham without sending the Giants the No. 2 overall pick.
