49ers’ Steve Young Reflects Back on the Time He Was Almost an AFC QB

Steve Young almost never won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers.

For the second time in his young NFL career, the left-handed quarterback was nearly trade bait.

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And during an appearance on the Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks show on KNBR on Wednesday, February 16, the legendary quarterback, Hall of Famer and Super Bowl 29 Most Valuable Player reflected back on the time he was nearly shipped away by the 49ers.

Young’s possible destination can be described as this to start: Los Angeles.

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Young’s Recollection on the Possible Trade

Here was the proposed deal that was in place: Young to the Los Angeles Raiders in exchange for a first and second round pick and, on the Raiders’ side, future Hall of Famer Tim Brown also becomes a 49er.

That would’ve meant that Brown and Jerry Rice could’ve been 49er teammates instead of Oakland Raiders. Rice even remembered what could’ve been during an interview from his Raider days:

And for Young, it would’ve meant him taking snaps over then-Raider quarterbacks Jay Schroeder and Steve Beurelein. Plus having Marcus Allen and a young Bo Jackson in his backfield.

Here’s what Young recalled during his appearance on the radio show:

“When George (Seifert) took over and told me to sit down and shut up, that’s when I realized, as much as I want to do it here, and as much as that might not be possible, that’s when those conversations started. So for the next two years, every year, there was a lot of under-the-covers conversations because I could control — I was under contract, but I could agitate for it.

“Al Davis once told me that he had it (the trade) done. It was after the ’89 season. They announced it internally on draft day, and then something—I don’t know what ended up happening—it didn’t happen. No one ever explained it to me, so I have no details. I remember getting that call.”

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‘I Needed to Play’

Young admitted there was a time he became impatient with standing behind Joe Montana. Here’s what else he added in his conversation with the three men:

“And then in ’90, after ’89, there was another kind of foray into it. Look, in the end, Joe was the MVP of the league. He was MVP of the Super Bowl. I’m not an idiot. I don’t want to just stand here forever. That wasn’t what I expected to have happen, but Joe was expanding on his game, doing amazing things. I needed to play. That was the hard part. And then when Joe’s arm got hurt in ’91, that gave me an opportunity to at least go play, and that solved it for a little while, and then off we go.”

From 1991 to his final year in the league in 1999, Young would have the QB reins to himself in the Bay Area. He would go and finish 91-33 with the 49ers according to Pro Football Reference. He added two league MVP awards along the way and seven Pro Bowl appearances.

Even back then, on the eve of a preseason game against the team he nearly played for, Young counted his blessings about staying on with the 49ers in an August 7, 1992 interview with the Associated Press.

“I’ll tell you what, football is strange, life is strange,” Young said to the AP. “There’s no doubt the Raiders were trying to get me on their sideline. Whether the 49ers were is up to great debate. There’s no doubt that something was going on throughout the offseason, but this is what I wanted, to be here, so I’m happy.”

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