The history of the 49ers and the NFL nearly took a dramatic turn in 2009 during Mike Singletary’s first year as the team’s head coach. Instead of rolling forward with former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith, San Francisco had the option of trading for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Singletary in a story with The Athletic made the franchise-altering decision to reject the trade. Via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei: