John Lynch explains the 49ers' inactivity at the trade deadline

He sure has some 'splaining to do.

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Many fans and potentially even some within the San Francisco 49ers organization were disappointed that the team did not do more at the trade deadline. John Lynch was met with questions about the team's stance and was adamant that while they were not aggressive on the final day, they were an aggressive team when it came to making their roster better. 

John Lynch reveals why the San Francisco 49ers were not more aggressive at the trade deadline 

John Lynch to @knbr on 49ers & trade deadline:
"We’re top-4 in the league in trades made this year. We did a lot to improve our team and did to the end. … We weren’t going to make an overpayment. ... We weren’t going to get fleeced. We weren’t going to overpay."

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) November 6, 2025

This is a smart way to put it for the fans, but three of the trades that Lynch is discussing were made before the start of the regular season. Beyond that, two of the additions were Skyy Moore and Brian Robinson, essentially depth pieces. 

San Francisco traded for Bryce Huff, but that is an offseason acquisition and cannot be lumped into the same category. When the team traded for those three, they had a healthy Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, and all of the other pieces intact. Now that the season has been playing out, the needs of the roster have changed, and in this particular case, it calls for a potential trade. 

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The 49ers did add Keion White, and it is fair to say that had they added White a week later that fans would be less upset. Saying that they added White as a deadline deal is a bit more honest than saying they were top four in trades. Still, the addition of White may just be a pick swap, which set up the belief that there was potential for another move.  

One thing Lynch did not mention is that the team is missing a majority of their late Day 3 picks. So, a lot of sweeteners that can finish a deal, or even pick swap options, were out of the window, at least when it comes to next year's draft. It would have been tough to figure it out. 

Beyond that, the 49ers likely were more interested in a needle mover and not another depth piece like White or Brian Robinson. Lynch also mentioned that the team did not want to get fleeced, and that is likely pertaining to the bigger deals. 

Cincinnati is known to be stingy, and they had a hard line for Trey Hendrickson. Still, you have to wonder about the price tag on someone like Bradley Chubb. Miami was active during the deadline and could not have been too set on a specific compensation. He is not a Hendrickson-level game changer, but would have been a needed addition.