The 49ers were indeed trying to land Davante Adams this offseason, and the veteran wideout wasn't too pleased with the offer.
The San Francisco 49ers were notably quiet during the opening waves of free agency earlier this offseason, primarily focusing on signing special teams contributors and backups.
They did attempt to make a splash, however, in reaction the the mass exodus of talent that was directly influenced by the team's desire to get both younger and cheaper.
Veteran All-Pro wide receiver Davate Adams was on the Niners' radar, and even he expressed some interest in heading back to the West Coast and potentially suiting up for the red and gold after a failed stint with the New York Jets last season.
It made sense from San Francisco's vantage point, too, especially after trading away wide receiver Deebo Samuel while understanding fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk would potentially miss the beginning of 2025 after suffering a torn ACL and MCL last year.
However, the 49ers' recent spending habits (or lack thereof) apparently got in the way of landing Adams.
Davante Adams admits being disrespected by 49ers' low-ball offer
The 32-year-old six-time Pro Bowler ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Rams during the offseason and could easily become a thorn in the Niners' side twice in 2025 when the NFC West rivals square off against each other.
In an interview with The Athletic's Mike Silver, Adams admitted San Francisco reached out to his camp but also shared the offer wasn't exactly to his liking:
"I was entertaining the Niners, but they were like, ‘We’re paying wholesale. We ain’t paying retail.’ I didn’t talk to them, but that’s what my agent told me — like five times, that quote. And I was like, ‘OK, well, I’m not a wholesale-type dude.’"
Adams subsequently signed a two-year deal with L.A. for up to $44 million.
The receiver also shared how Rams head coach Sean McVay called him during a vacation in Japan when Adams was awake at 3 a.m. local time to provide a sales pitch.
Apparently, it worked.
Combined with the 49ers' "wholesale" offer, Adams is in the NFC West but for a rival team instead of with the Niners.