Niners Acquire Former Pro Bowl Tackle Trent Williams; Stalwart Joe Staley Announces Retirement
SANTA CLARA (CBS SF) -- After lingering in the background since making two selections in the NFL Draft's first round, the San Francisco 49ers were back in the spotlight on day three Saturday, swinging a trade with the Washington Redskins to acquire veteran Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams.
Two factors played into the trade. Williams had become disgruntled with his contract situation with the Redskins and the 49ers front office knew long-time 49ers offensive line stalwart Joe Staley would be announcing his retirement. That word came hours later on Saturday afternoon.
"For the last 13 years, Joe Staley conducted himself in a manner that epitomizes the 49ers way and set a tremendous example for his teammates and our community," said 49ers CEO Jed York. "A consummate professional, one of the best players in the game and a great human being, Joe has left an indelible mark on this franchise and everyone he has come into contact with throughout his career."
"His passion, sense of humor and heart are just a few of the many traits that allowed him not only to be a team leader but also an ambassador for our game and the Bay Area."
Staley took to social media to thank the fans.
"While I am sad and disappointed my time has come to step away, I leave with my head held high, knowing I gave my all to the game," he posted. "I fulfilled the dreams I had as a kid. Now, I will turn my attention to my daughters cultivate and achieve dreams of their own."
The San Francisco 49ers also traded running back Matt Breida to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth round pick and selected West Virginia offensive tackle Colton McKivitz to further strengthen the line.
McKivitz said he was shocked to hear his name called by the 49ers.
"I had no idea actually," he told Bay Area reporters. "I didn't really have a whole lot of contact with them after the Combine and leading up to this. So, it was a pretty big surprise to get a call from them actually."
To acquire Williams, the 49ers gave up a 2020 fifth-round pick and 2021 third-round selection, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero.
During his 10 years with the Redskins, Williams appeared in 120 games (119 starts) and started two postseason contests. He was selected to seven-straight Pro Bowls (2013-19) and earned Second-Team AP All-Pro honors following the 2015 season.
Williams played for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan during each of his first four NFL seasons, when Shanahan served as Washington's offensive coordinator.
He must pass a physical for the trade to be executed.
Oft-injured wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was acquired by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The teams flipped sixth-round picks with Philadelphia getting No. 210 and San Francisco receiving No. 190.
Goodwin spent his first four seasons with Buffalo and past three in San Francisco. He has 140 receptions for 2,323 yards and 13 TDs in his career. He played 16 games only once in 2017 when he had career highs in receptions (56) and yards (962).
With the #49ers trade done, LT Trent Williams tells me, "I'm thankful this is over. Thanks to Dan and the organization for all they've done for me. Still a lot of love for the fans and that locker room. Now I'm focusing on being the best player I can possibly be for the 49ers."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 25, 2020
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch, who has built the once league doormat into the NFC Champion and Super Bowl contender, has done a remarkable job addressing the team's three biggest needs heading into the 2020 season.
The 49ers filled two large holes left in their lineup by the free agent departure of veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and the Deforest Buckner trade in the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday.
Most of the mock drafts had San Francisco targeting a wide receiver with their first pick, instead they used the pick acquired from Indianapolis in the Buckner trade to select his possible replacement. An All-American last season, Kinlaw will join one of the top defensive lines in the NFL.
In three seasons at South Carolina, Kinlaw had 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in his three seasons. He said being teammed up with Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and Arik Armstead was a dream come true.
"Yeah, I think they might've been the best defensive line in football last year," he said. "I'm not just saying that. The way they play, they play the right way. I feel like they play the way the game is supposed to be played."
Kinlaw got off to a quick start last season, but then was the target of double teams. He said opponents now won't be able to focus on him.
"Well playing next to guys like that, I think it leaves opportunities for me to get a lot of one-on-one," he said. "And, I feel as though the D-Line coach, I feel like he's gonna do a good job of developing me the right way and help me understand the game of football more and more as the years go on."
San Francisco was originally slotted to pick 13th but made a deal with the Buccaneers to move back one spot and received Tampa Bay's 4th round pick. The 49ers also sent the Buccaneers a 7th round pick to complete the trade.
The 49ers got their wide receiver with the 25th overall pick, selecting Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State.
Aiyuk had a breakthrough season in 2019 for Arizona State with 65 catches for 1,192 yards and eight TDs. He had only 33 catches for 474 yards in his first season with the Sun Devils after playing in junior college as 2019 New England first-rounder N'Keal Harry was the focal point of the passing game.
Aiyuk adds another threat in the passing game for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo alongside star tight end George Kittle and versatile second-year receiver Deebo Samuel.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report