After 13 years of leaving everything on the field for the 49ers, Joe Staley did them one last favor. The veteran left tackle told the club Monday before the draft he was planning on retiring according to general manager John Lynch in his post-draft video press conference.
Lynch in his Monday media session expressed optimism that Staley would return since he hadn’t heard differently from the 13-year veteran. Staley informed the club after Lynch spoke with the media Monday.
The move allowed the 49ers to set the wheels in motion for replacing Staley. They had an opportunity to select a top tackle with the No. 13 pick when Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs fell to them. Instead they traded back one spot and took South Carolina defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw. In the meantime, they worked on acquiring seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams from Washington.
It took a fifth-round pick in 2020 and a third-round selection in 2021 to pry the veteran left tackle away from his former club.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has a good relationship with Williams after working with him as Washington’s offensive coordinator for the first four years of Williams’ career. He said he had confidence they could make the move for Williams, which is why they passed on a tackle earlier in the draft.
The deal for Williams wasn’t something long in the works either. Lynch said talks began Monday once Staley informed the team he wouldn’t be back.
Williams was available for a trade after missing all of last season due to a holdout and then a non-football injury. He’d been seeking to get out of Washington after they failed to work out an extension for his deal that ends after the 2020 season. San Francisco never had real talks about Williams until Monday before the draft according to Lynch.
Now he has a new home in San Francisco where he’ll play out the final year of his contract. The 49ers didn’t rule out an extension after the 2020 campaign, but they’re still waiting to see how he performs after a year away from football.
Replacing Staley won’t be easy, but the fact he told the 49ers of his retirement ahead of time allowed them to take the necessary steps to replace him with another Pro Bowler who’s five years younger. Staley did a lot of remarkable things for San Francisco, and his last act as a member of the organization set them up well for life without him.