Maybe the San Francisco 49ers weren’t as “in it” for defender Matthew Stafford, as everyone assumed. At least that’s what Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported in his latest release.

Stafford wanted to go to California. After all, his family has a home in Newport Beach, which is about 40 miles south of SoFi Stadium. According to Breer, the Los Angeles Rams have always been his favorite destination, followed by the 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts.

On Saturday night, Stafford received his wish. The Detroit Lions traded the quarterback to the Rams in exchange for two upcoming first-round picks, a third and Jared Goff. It seemed like a move for the 33-year-old defender. But at least part of the offer should have brought the lions to assume Goff’s salary. The result was a hard-to-beat bid. Los Angeles was clearly all-in for Stafford and eager to send Goff and his massive Southern California contract.

So how far have the talks between the 49ers and the Lions gone? Looks like it’s not far at all. Breer reports that the two sides had some discussions in Mobile, Alabama, which led to the Senior Bowl, but that was all – discussions. Nothing was about to become official, despite what rumors and speculation on Twitter made everyone believe.

San Francisco planned to continue talks with Detroit over the weekend, but then things warmed up on Saturday, and the Lions reached out to assess the 49ers’ interest.

“My sense is that the 12th election will never be offered,” wrote Breer, who agrees with what I heard last week – that the 49ers were doing everything in their power to maintain option no. Of course, this always came with the warning that things can change quickly.

When Detroit stretched, things clearly grew beyond what the 49ers felt comfortable with, and the team had no problem moving from Stafford and moving on with Jimmy Garoppolo.

Breer also broke down what other Lions teams were offering for Stafford.

  • Carolina Panthers offered general election no. 8 in this year’s draft, plus a subsequent pick.
  • The Washington football team offered general election no. 19 with a choice from the third round.
  • The Colts never offered their first round, but talked about election packages and a player.
  • The Denver Broncos discussed an election exchange with the Lions, which would have equated to a late first-round pick. That didn’t go anywhere.
  • The New England Patriots discussed wrapping up a second-round pick with a player, but they weren’t on Stafford’s list of favorite destinations.
  • Talks with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets didn’t go far.