Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 21, 1993 TAG: 9304210204
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY, MO. LENGTH: Long
The confusing and protracted saga ended Tuesday night when the San Francisco 49ers completed a trade with Kansas City involving draft choices and one other player.
"Joe Montana can bring to us a tremendous amount of experience, of leadership, the ability to win and know what it takes to win," Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson said at news conference.
Peterson and 49ers president Carmen Policy had been haggling long distance over compensation for the four-time Super Bowl winner, who remained under contract with San Francisco and turned down their offer to be "designated starter."
Twice in the previous 72 hours, Policy had announced that negotiations with the Chiefs had broken off.
"I never doubted that we could get this thing done at any time," Peterson said.
Peterson said details would be announced today in Santa Clara, Calif., but a source close to the 49ers said Montana, safety David Whitmore and a third-round draft pick in 1994 would be sent to Kansas City for the Chiefs' first-round pick, the 18th overall in next weekend's draft.
The trade may trigger another deal for the 49ers, with the New England Patriots. The Boston Globe reported in today's editions that the 49ers will offer the Patriots a package of draft choices for the first overall pick in Sunday's NFL draft, which they would use on Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer.
Sources close to the 49ers' ownership say they are considering an offer of that first-round pick, plus their own (27th overall) and two later choices - the Dallas Cowboys' second-round pick (which they own from the Charles Haley trade) and their third-round choice - to New England.
In short, it would be the 18th, 27th, 57th and 83rd pick for the first one.
Montana, a three-time Super Bowl most valuable player, lost his job to Steve Young while spending the past two seasons recovering from elbow surgery.
After announcing Young, last year's NFL most valuable player, would be their starter, the 49ers gave Montana permission to shop around and last Saturday, in a second visit to Kansas City, he came to terms on a three-year contract.
Then the 49ers, in an extraordinary move, reversed themselves and said Montana would be their starter going into training camp.
After Montana stunned many of his ardent Bay Area supporters and rejected that offer, Peterson and Policy spent three days in hard-ball negotiations that ended about 7:30 p.m. EDT.
"Carmen Policy and myself came to a meeting of the minds," Peterson said. "I understood and appreciated the emotion of this trade for them. Joe Montana represents the greatest quarterback who ever played for the 49ers and perhaps in the NFL. This was not an easy separation for them."
Last year with Dave Krieg at quarterback, the Chiefs finished 10-6 and went to the playoffs a third straight year, losing in the first round to San Diego. Krieg was sacked 48 times and the Chiefs' offensive line remains suspect after losing guard/tackle Dave Lutz to free agency.
Montana has played only one half of one game in the past two seasons because of elbow problems. He will turn 37 before training camp opens.
"We've given him quite an extensive physical," Peterson said. "We felt very good about his physical condition. We addressed the elbow surgery. We've had our doctors spend time with him. We had him work out for us. We feel good about Joe's physical condition at this point."
Said Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer: "Our offensive coaches are going to be busy, but we think he will obviously give this organization an opportunity to improve."
One of those coaches is Paul Hackett, who was offensive coordinator with the 49ers when Montana led the team to four Super Bowl titles.
"Both teams are pleased that the matter has reached a conclusion on terms that they feel are fair and reasonable," Policy said.
Coach George Seifert, who publicly had backed Young as the starter before the team's sudden reversal last weekend, joined Policy in denying the 49ers were trying to deflect public criticism by making him their "designated starter." Backers of Montana have deluged the club's offices with faxes and phone calls in an attempt to derail a trade.
"The offer that was made to Joe Montana to be the starting quarterback was a sincere, open, honest offer," Seifert said.
"When I said Steve Young was the starting quarterback, obviously I didn't expect Joe Montana to then want to go on to another club," Seifert added. "As this situation played out, I sensed there was polarization with regard to players, with regard to our organization, coaching staff, secretaries. There were a lot of factors entering into this."
Young, preparing for law school exams at Provo, Utah, has not been available for comment on the situation.
Jerry Rice, Montana's favorite target, told the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat that the trade was "kind of hard to swallow right now. It's going to set in later. I think people here feel like Joe really owed them a lot. It should be vice versa; people should take their hat off to him."
Will McDonough of The Boston Globe contributed information for this story.
by CNB