49ers Insider: Report says team tried to deal for Briggs
By Matthew Barrows
SANTA CLARA -- Coach Mike Nolan and team personnel chief Scot McCloughan declined to comment Friday on a report that the 49ers tried to trade for Elk Grove native Lance Briggs before the Oct. 16 trade deadline.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the 49ers and Bears were working on a deal that would have sent Briggs, Chicago's second-leading tackler, to San Francisco for an unspecified draft pick. The 49ers would have given Briggs, 26, the long-term deal the linebacker has been seeking from the Bears.
"That player's on another football team, guys," Nolan said when asked about Briggs. "I don't comment on players on other teams."
Asked if the 49ers were close to pulling off any of trades before the deadline, Nolan said: "Uh, not close enough, it appears. No one is on our side."
The deal was scuttled because the Bears had designated Briggs as their franchise player, according to the Yahoo! report. Under league rules, franchise players can't sign long-term deals with other teams.
Nolan did say that he was in favor of altering the trade rules. The trade deadline, as it stands, occurs about a third into the season. Nolan said that's too soon.
"I would like to see us have a greater window of opportunity than the current window of opportunity," he said. "… I would like to see it go into November."
LINK
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/552513.html