PHOENIX – The 49ers were apparently not willing to part ways with the No. 2 overall pick without getting the New York Giants’ pick at No. 6 to acquire wide receiver Odell Beckham two weeks ago.
CEO Jed York on Sunday at the NFL owners meeting was asked how close the 49ers came from landing Beckham in a trade.
“Not close enough,” York answered.
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The Giants worked out a trade with the Cleveland Browns on March 12 to trade Beckham in exchange for the Browns’ first-round pick at No. 17 overall, a third-round pick (No. 95 overall) and safety Jabrill Peppers.
After not showing any interest in dealing with Pittsburgh for Antonio Brown, who ended up with the Raiders, the 49ers pursued Beckham, York confirmed.
“We were definitely in it,” York said. “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.”
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San Francisco 49ers
Beckham is not the first All-Pro caliber player the 49ers pursued in the past year in a trade but were unable to close the deal. Prior to the start of last season, the 49ers felt they had a better offer on the table to the Raiders for edge rusher Khalil Mack.
The Raiders ended up trading Mack and a second-round draft pick in 2020 to the Bears for first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, a third-rounder in 2020 and a sixth-round pick this year.