The 49ers were seen as the favorites to land Antonio Brown for the first couple months of the offseason.
The buzz came from Jerry Rice, who publicly supported the idea of his former team acquiring the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver. Tight end George Kittle helped create a little more intrigue when he reached out to Brown on social media after, he said, Jimmy Garoppolo dared him.
And Santa Clara appeared to be the preferred destination for Brown, who appeared in a photo-shopped 49ers uniform on his social media account.
All the while, the 49ers' decision-makers remained silent.