49ers' Shanahan: It was 'frustrating' seeing Rams acquire Stafford

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admits he mulled a move for Matthew Stafford before the Los Angeles Rams acquired the quarterback.

During an appearance on the "Flying Coach" podcast with Rams head coach Sean McVay, Shanahan said he was in Cabo at the same time as Stafford and McVay when the deal was completed.

"That was frustrating," Shanahan said. "I was watching it all ... I remember looking through it because everybody was telling me it was a possibility. Stafford's the man. I studied him hard coming out of college, and you always play against him, so you know how good he is.

"But to know he might be available and to spend two weeks really watching him, Sean, he's better than I realized."

The 49ers head coach added he was "trying to get involved," only to learn that the Rams had swooped in quickly to land the former Detroit Lions signal-caller.

"I remember Saturday I was so stressed out and finally we talked to someone, it was seven at night, and they're like, 'No, nothing's happening at the earliest until tomorrow, so you can finish your night.' So I'm like, alright, I'm done," Shanahan noted.

He continued: "Half an hour later, my buddy calls me and is like, 'I'm just telling ya, if you want Stafford, you need to get a hold of him right now.' I'm like, 'What do you mean? We just talked to people. I can sleep on this. We'll talk to them tomorrow.' 'I'm just telling you, you need to talk to him right now.' And then it was all over."

McVay told Shanahan the Rams' deal for Stafford came together faster than he expected as well.

The 49ers were one of many teams rumored to be in the mix for the 33-year-old earlier this offseason. After failing to land Stafford, San Francisco completed a blockbuster trade to move up to No. 3 in the 2021 draft to select North Dakota State passer Trey Lance.

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