On the latest “49ers Talk” podcast, Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan discuss whether the 49ers should wheel and deal their 2023 NFL Draft assets.
Nick Bosa almost was an Arizona Cardinal.
But former Cardinals general manager Steve Keim elected to draft a quarterback to jumpstart the franchise's rebuild instead.
Speaking on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Tuesday, Keim explained why he drafted Oklahoma's Kyler Murray instead of Bosa in the 2019 NFL Draft, sharing that he would have lost his job had he drafted the latter instead of the former.
"Well, Kyler Murray got me an extension, Nick Bosa probably would've got me fired," Keim joked.
When Patrick further questioned if Keim would have drafted Murray ahead of Bosa again, even with how their respective careers have gone, Keim doubled down on his statement.
"I mean, your quarterback position is the guy that can propel your team the quickest. And he did that," Keim continued. "Could Nick Bosa have got us to an 11-win team that year, two years ago?"
Since being drafted No. 1 overall by the Cardinals in 2019, Murray helped Arizona reach the playoffs in 2021, leading the team to an 11-6 record.
San Francisco 49ers
However, the Cardinals underperformed in 2022, stumbling to a 4-13 record. Worse, the 25-year-old Murray tore his ACL against the New England Patriots in Week 14, and Arizona fired Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury at the end of that season.
Meanwhile, Bosa has been an integral part of the 49ers' success since arriving in the Bay Area.
In his four seasons with San Francisco, the 49ers have made it to the NFC Championship Game three times and to the Super Bowl once -- thanks in part to his defensive efforts -- and was named the AP's Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.
To add a little more salt to the wound, Bosa even warned Keim and Kingsbury before the draft that he will "haunt" them for the rest of their careers if they drafted Murray over him. Though that hasn't happened on the field just yet, perhaps Bosa's success with the 49ers is what the 25-year-old ultimately meant.
RELATED: Bosa's blunt warning to Cardinals about Murray before '19 draft
As the 49ers and Cardinals enter the 2023 NFL Draft, it's clear both teams are headed in two directions when the 2023 NFL season rolls around.
Still, Keim isn't losing sleep on drafting Murray over Bosa almost four years ago.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
