San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 10 worst trades in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
No. 7: 49ers put a massive package together to draft Steve Spurrier
We’ve got to go back a ways in Niners history to break down this 1967 move, which saw San Francisco put together a lucrative package to move up to the No. 3 overall spot in that year’s NFL Draft.
The package included offensive guard Jim Wilson, offensive tackle Jim Norton and wide receiver Bernie Casey being sent off to the Atlanta Falcons. And with that third-overall pick now in their arsenal, the 49ers grabbed former Florida quarterback Steve Spurrier.
The interesting thing, though, was the Niners already had a quality quarterback in John Brodie. And San Francisco would still stick with Brodie for a long time after drafting Spurrier, which the latter admitted affected his desire to compete.
“I was not a very ambitious player,” Spurrier said in his autobiography, Head Ball Coach: My Life in Football.
Instead, Spurrier started just six games over his first five years with the 49ers, and the franchise was forced to use him as a punter for much of that span. Even when Spurrier got some chances to start in 1972, he was far from effective and finished with a mere 61.2 passer rating during his quarterbacking days with the Niners.
Moving up to No. 3 overall for what essentially ended up being a punter and backup quarterback? Yeah, that was bad.