49ers ship Jeff Wilson out hours after Shanahan says ‘I would hate to lose him’
Jeff Wilson #JeffWilson
Just one day after San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Jeff Wilson was “one of my favorite players we’ve ever had,” the team shipped the running back to Miami at the trade deadline.
In exchange for the 26-year-old running back, the Niners will receive a fifth-round pick in this upcoming draft.
Wilson’s name has appeared in trade rumors since the team acquired star running back Christian McCaffrey. Shanahan spoke highly of Wilson ahead of his trade, and seemed to downplay those rumors.
“Jeff is one of my favorite players we’ve ever had,” coach Kyle Shanahan said, according to The Athletic. “I read the trade rumors and stuff about Jeff. We would never just shop Jeff. We listen to everybody about everything. But Jeff, I don’t care whether it’s a running play, a pass play, fullback — that dude does everything we ask. And not only does he just do it, I think he does it at a high level. So I hope to have him here always. That’s our goal.”
Even hours before the deadline, Shanahan was saying a trade was unlikely.
“We do have a number of guys, but by no means are we just trying to get rid of one,” he said on the radio Tuesday morning. “I mean, we love Jeff Wilson, and I would hate to lose him.
“You always listen to stuff if you think it can help your team, and it’s a great situation for him, but that stuff rarely happens.”
Wilson has been with the Niners since 2018, and will be reunited with Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who was his run game coordinator and offensive coordinator until he left for Miami. This season he has racked up 468 yards on the ground — including a 132-yard performance against the Panthers this season — averaging 5.1 yards per carry, along with two rushing touchdowns, and three receiving touchdowns.
This breaking news story was updated.