Report: 49ers seemed willing to beat Browns' offer for Beckham

The Cleveland Browns' trade for superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on March 12 was a shock to many, including the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco was the most active suitor for Beckham's services before the Browns entered the conversation and it's believed the Niners would have been willing to offer more to get the deal done, a league source told ESPN's Pat McManamon and Jordan Raanan.

Instead, the New York Giants accepted the Browns' offer of the No. 17 pick in this year's draft, a third-round pick, and safety Jabrill Peppers for Beckham reportedly without shopping around for better offers or allowing San Francisco the option to beat Cleveland's offer.

"The 49ers were stunned," McManamon and Ranaan report. "(49ers general manager John) Lynch and (Giants GM Dave) Gettleman had multiple conversations spanning weeks. Despite the 49ers monitoring the situation closely, they ultimately never heard from the Giants before the trade was made. Gettleman's contact with Lynch ended the days prior to the conversations with Cleveland."

The Giants reportedly wanted the 49ers' first-round selection in any deal for Beckham, while San Francisco wanted to swap first-rounders - their No. 2 pick for the Giants No. 6 selection. Apparent talks involving the 49ers' 2016 first-round pick, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, also proved unfruitful.

But Lynch and the Niners brain trust believed they weren't done yet.

"They believed their best offer had yet to come," write McManamon and Ranaan.