49ers’ Chase Young trade prompted Omenihu’s funny quip to Armstead Matt Maiocco

SANTA CLARA — Many 49ers players were in the weight room last week as the NFL trading deadline neared and it was time for the team to be excused for the bye week.

That’s when the chatter began.

News broke last Tuesday, approximately 90 minutes before the deadline, the 49ers acquired defensive end Chase Young in a trade from the Washington Commanders.

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead received a phone call from Kansas City.

“Charles Omenihu called me and said, ‘Oh, y’all cheating now,’” Armstead said with a laugh on 49ers Talk.

Omenihu, whom the 49ers acquired at the trade deadline from the Houston Texans in 2021, signed with the Chiefs in the offseason as a fee agent. The 49ers added the biggest name to switch teams with the addition of Young, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

“It took social media by storm, of course,” Armstead said of the buzz at team headquarters upon the completion of the trade. “Chase is a great player. I think reuniting him with Nick (Bosa) is a special story. I know they’re going to be able to build chemistry like they had in college. That’s how I found out about it.”

Young already is listed atop the 49ers’ depth chart at defensive end with his former Ohio State teammate Bosa holding down the starting role at the other edge position. Bosa was the No. 2 overall pick of the 49ers in 2019 and is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Armstead expressed surprise that 49ers general manager John Lynch was able to pull off a deal to acquire Young and give up only a special compensatory pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in return.

“Organizationally, you can stockpile talent without giving up much, it’s a no-brainer,” Armstead said. “I don’t know how Washington let him leave, but that’s on them. He’s here now.

“Guys are obviously excited, but now it’s time to get to work. It was exciting news over the bye week. We’re excited to have him, and he’s going to be tremendous for our team. And now it’s time to go put it out on the field.”

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Arik Armstead sees benefit of Steve Wilks moving to 49ers’ sideline
Matt Maiocco
Thu, Nov 9, 2023, 7:19 PM·3 min read
SANTA CLARA — The decision has been made for 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks to leave the comforts of the coaches’ booth to the at-times-chaotic environment of the sideline.

Wilks has said he believes calling a game from the box is more convenient. But coach Kyle Shanahan advised Wilks that perhaps more can be gained from being close to the players during the course of a game.

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead, one of the 49ers’ captains, has seen the benefits from his experiences with former 49ers defensive coordinators Robert Saleh and DeMeco Ryans.

“I think in the past, me personally and I’ve seen other people communicating with Saleh and DeMeco,” Armstead said on 49ers Talk. “That has been helpful at times.”

Wilks has a history of coaching the secondary, so Armstead understands why Wilks might have wanted an overhead view of the field.

“I know coach Wilks comes from the back end, defensive backs, and I’m sure it’s great for him to be able to see the full picture on the back end, coverage-wise and stuff like that,” Armstead said.

The plan calls for Wilks to be on the sideline for the 49ers’ Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And Armstead believes this is an opportunity for the players to have more input during the flow of the game.

“I think it would be great to see how it goes, so we could have more communication and talk to the leader of our defense,” Armstead said. “Even up front and at all levels of the defense, we can have better lines of communication. I can communicate what I’m seeing from the O-line and things that can be helpful.”

Wilks, in his first season as 49ers defensive coordinator, has come under scrutiny as the 49ers went into the bye week on a three-game losing streak.

In back-to-back games against Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, the 49ers’ defense allowed 63 completions on 80 pass attempts (79 percent) for 661 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

Moreover, the 49ers registered only three sacks in those two games and were not great against the run, either.

Armstead said he believes it will take a little time to get things back to where they’ve been in the past. And he pointed out that there were calls for Saleh’s head, too, after his first couple of seasons as defensive coordinator. Eventually, he and Ryans parlayed their successes with the 49ers into head-coaching jobs with the New York Jets and Houston Texans, respectively.

“If you look back at the history, people weren’t too hot on Saleh, people weren’t too hot on DeMeco when he first started,” Armstead said. “And you look at where we got, we’ve been a top-five defense ever since 2019, and we’re still that now.

“Our goal is to be No. 1, and we’re going to put the work in to get there. It takes a little bit of time sometimes, but you have to continue to grind, believe in each other and figure out ways to better yourself.”

Iguodala named acting executive director of NBA players union
AFP

Andre Iguodala, who retired last month after 19 NBA seasons and four league titles with <a class=”link ”
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Andre Iguodala, who retired last month after 19 NBA seasons and four league titles with Golden State, was named the acting executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (ELSA)

Andre Iguodala, a four-time NBA champion with Golden State, was appointed acting executive director of the NBA players union on Thursday after Tamika Tremaglio stepped down.

Iguodala, a 39-year-old swingman, announced his retirement as a player on October 20 after 19 NBA seasons and only three weeks later was named to take charge of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) by its executive committee.

“I’m honored to take on this role and serve the players, who are the heart and soul of the NBA,” said Iguodala.

“I’m presented with a unique opportunity to take all I’ve learned as a player over the course of my 19-year career and apply it to creating an even stronger and more influential union for current and future generations of players.”

Tremaglio, who served in the role since January 2021, stepped down to follow new opportunities but will work with Iguodala through a transition period.

Tremaglio led the union in talks with the NBA that resulted in a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement being signed in June, ensuring labor peace through the 2029-30 campaign.

“I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished together in collective bargaining and over the past two years as a whole,” Tremaglio said. “With a new CBA in place, I’m ready to move on from this role and pursue other opportunities.”

Iguodala was on the executive committee for more than a decade during his playing career, which included NBA titles with the Warriors in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022 and 2012 London Olympic gold with the US squad.

Iguodala was the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player despite not starting a game for the Warriors in the regular season. He was the first NBA Finals MVP not to start every game of the championship series, but he limited Cleveland star LeBron James defensively while averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

“Having a former player lead as executive director of the union is an exciting proposition,” said NBPA president C.J. McCollum, a guard for the New Orleans Pelicans.