Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday that the San Francisco 49ers were not among the teams to reach out to the Pittsburgh Steelers regarding wide receiver Antonio Brown. General manager John Lynch confirmed that on Thursday during his time at the podium in Indianapolis.
The 49ers, along with all 31 other NFL teams, are there this week for the NFL Scouting Combine.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told NFL Network last week that three teams had reached out to inquire about the disgruntled receiver, who officially requested a trade on February 12. Brown and the Steelers later agreed that it would be best to part ways, but Colbert made it clear that no deal will take place unless it benefits the Steelers organization.
Brown has made it clear via social media that he would love to play for Shanahan and the 49ers. However, he and his agent have not been given permission to facilitate a trade so any interest must go through the Steelers.
"It's funny the world we live in where one tweet from a player to another turns into interest and all of that," Lynch told reporters on Thursday. "That is the world we live in. I can tell you, like every team in this league, we think the guy is a heck of a football player, but we have not had talks with the Steelers. I can tell you that."
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Lynch was later asked again about Brown.
"I'll just leave it at he's a great player," he responded. "We've got a ton of respect for him."
While the 49ers have not contacted the Steelers about Brown, cornerback Richard Sherman told ESPN on Wednesday that he believes the team would be open to adding the All-Pro receiver.
"In terms of the front office or in terms of the teammates, I think both sides would be incredibly open to that," Sherman told Josina Anderson. "He's one of the best players in our league, and he's one of the hardest workers. In the media, how they portray a player is much different than how guys that see him on a daily basis and guys who work with him on a daily basis see him.
"I've heard nothing but great things about him and his work ethic. They say he's one of the hardest working guys you'll ever meet. He's obviously one of the most productive receivers in the NFL and NFL history. He'd be somebody that would immediately help our ball club."
