Why the 49ers were Smart Not to Trade for Matthew Stafford

Good for the 49ers.

They resisted the urge to trade two first-round draft picks for a soon-to-be 33-year-old quarterback with a bad back who never has won a playoff game and isn't even worth one first-round pick at this stage of his career.

Instead, the 49ers let the Rams trade two first-round picks and Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford.

Good for the 49ers.

They had the inside track to get Stafford if they wanted him, as I reported. And although they never came close to finalizing a deal, they were interested in getting him, according to the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

"They had interest," Garafolo tweeted Sunday morning. "Would’ve been at a much lower compensation level. I just said they weren’t the ones on the verge of a deal, as was being reported. Their interest here is why I said in our segment I can’t guarantee they won’t trade for a QB."

Again, good for the 49ers.

If they could have traded a second-round pick and Jimmy Garoppolo to the Lions for Stafford, they probably would have. It seems clear the 49ers want to replace Garoppolo but don't want to release him. Meaning they want to trade him. And it seems clear he currently has little to no trade value.

So they held onto him for now. And they said they still like him. And they let the Rams desperately throw away draft picks to get the first decent quarterback who hit the trade market.

The Rams now have spent eight draft picks on the quarterback position since 2016 -- four first-round picks, two second-round picks and two thirds. Six of those picks they used to trade up for Goff. So they overpaid for him, then had to overpay for Stafford just to get rid of Goff.

Classic Rams. They create problems to fix problems.

The 49ers are patient. They will find a way to trade Garoppolo and upgrade the quarterback spot without overspending.

Just wait. Other quarterbacks will be available.