The San Francisco 49ers reportedly eyed three star defensive players before managing to complete a trade for Washington Commanders superstar Chase Young.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, San Francisco checked in on star cornerbacks in Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos and Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears plus Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
The 49ers weren’t willing to meet the high asking prices for either star (Sweat wound up being traded to Chicago, while Johnson and Surtain II stayed put), according to Schefter. But Washington ultimately reduced its asking price for Young, paving the way for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan to complete the blockbuster move:
“The cost of all three players ultimately turned out to be too high for the 49ers, who thought that they wouldn’t be able to make a deal to improve their team with just hours remaining before the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Oct. 31.
The Commanders, however, lowered their asking price for defensive end Chase Young after some teams expressed medical concerns about him, according to sources.”
San Francisco wound up acquiring the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NFL Draft for a third-round draft selection. Surprisingly, Young wound up costing less in a trade than Sweat, who cost the Bears a 2024 second-round draft pick.
