49ers shut down Renardo Green trade speculation, reaffirm belief in young CB

Last month, ESPN's Dan Graziano and Ben Solak listed potential NFL trade candidates, and somewhat surprisingly, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green appeared on it. To be clear, the feature never suggested that active trade discussions were underway, and there was no indication across the league that a move was imminent.

Still, general manager John Lynch was asked about the speculation during the NFL's annual meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, and he quickly dismissed it.

"I don't know where that came from," Lynch said. "Some of those things—where there's smoke, there's fire. Never have spoken to anyone."

The 49ers recently hired Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, replacing Robert Saleh, who departed to become head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Lynch emphasized Morris' enthusiasm for working with Green and developing his potential.

"We're really excited," Lynch said. "I can tell you, Raheem is extremely excited to work with Renardo. He sees a lot of tools that are kind of untapped, and some of that's on Renardo. We do need him to play better. I think he can be a big-time player. We did when we drafted him.

"He hasn't been bad by any account, but we think there's a lot more in there, and we're excited with Raheem."

On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan also addressed Green's status. The two had a visible sideline moment during the 49ers' playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, when Shanahan briefly pulled the young cornerback after he allowed a 21-yard reception to wide receiver Cooper Kupp on a 2nd-and-20 play.

What is the 49ers' message to Green this offseason, as the former second-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft prepares for his third season?

"To keep going at it, and then, never be satisfied with where you're at," Shanahan said. "When I get on a guy, it's—I know it can sound weird—I'm always upset if someone's not playing the best they possibly can. And I believe so much in Renardo, just the type of guy he is, the talent he is. He's a dude I loved coming out of college, I loved him in his rookie year, and I love him here.

"But when a guy doesn't do his best, which happens a lot, and I react the way I did—I took him out for a play because I thought he messed up on a coverage—and I wanted to challenge him to go back in and do it better.

"And sometimes that can be competitive, but the one thing I always try to tell these guys, and people who've been around me, if I'm getting on someone and challenging someone, it's because I really believe in them, and I'm upset that they're not giving their fullest at any given time."

Despite the outside speculation, the 49ers remain confident in Green as their starting outside cornerback opposite Deommodore Lenoir.

"I believe Renardo can be a very good player," Shanahan said. "I think he will be a very good player. I think he's done some good things ... I think Renardo has done some really good things, he's played at a starter level, and I've got much higher expectations for him."