That was the case this week when veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore became available. Initial reports stated that the New England Patriots intended to release him. Then the Carolina Panthers swooped in to grab the cornerback via a trade in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick. That, of course, infuriated other fanbases who questioned why their teams didn't give up something similar or better for a marquee player.
What did head coach Kyle Shanahan have to say about the San Francisco 49ers' interest in Gilmore?
"We looked into all of it," Shanahan told reporters this week. "We obviously didn't go through with it."
That's all the 49ers coach had to say on the subject. There may have been salary concerns. Perhaps there were health concerns. Maybe the team didn't see him as a locker-room fit.
This morning, general manager John Lynch shared a bit more about why the 49ers didn't pursue Gilmore. The team also could have brought in a player familiar with the defense, Richard Sherman, but opted to pass on that opportunity. Instead, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"[Sherman and Gilmore] have been great players," Lynch said on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "We are always going to try to improve our team and look at every situation. And we did on those two. It just -- it wasn't a fit, in the end. So, they're on different teams, and we go with the guys we have. And we're confident they're going to play at a level that allows us to win."
Lynch sees a lot of potential in the 49ers' current group of cornerbacks. The team needs to find a way to stay healthy moving forward, though. Jason Verrett is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL. Josh Norman missed this past weekend due to a lung contusion but could be back in the lineup against the Arizona Cardinals.
"I was really proud of the way our corners played the other day," Lynch added. "I think Emmanuel Moseley is hitting stride, and I think he is going to be a really good player in this league.
"Dre Kirkpatrick really picked us up in a good way. There was one [pass interference] down the field that I question. I've got to be careful there [criticizing the officiating], but I thought it was a clean play, and I thought our guys played at a high level.
"We like the guys we have. Josh Norman's coming back."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.