We hear time and time again how football is simply a business. Trading players certainly falls under that umbrella, but what if the head coaches of the two teams making the trade are brothers? Does that complicate matters or make life easier? Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh can shed some light on that.
Many were shocked when the Ravens traded playoff hero Anquan Boldin to the Niners a little over a week ago. The idea came together quickly, which sounds like it was the result of the Harbaugh brothers calling each other directly.
“It was me to my brother,” John said. “I called him up and just said, ‘Would you be interested?’ He said, ‘Heck yeah, let me go talk to (Niners GM) Trent (Baalke).’ This was about 3:30 before the 4 o’clock deadline. He ran down to Trent and they talked, and then Trent got on the phone with Ozzie and they had it worked out.”
From Jim’s standpoint, the deal may have even sounded too easy. If it seems too good to be true it probably is, which is why Jim was skeptical of even his own brother.
“I’m sure he was probably a little suspicious,” John said jokingly. “But Anquan is a great player, there’s just no denying it. From a pure value standpoint, I think they feel like they got a great deal. I know they got a great player, they got a great leader, they got a guy that will be a perfect fit in their offense in a lot of ways, and they realized that right away.”
Considering the Ravens were only asking for a sixth-round pick in return for a guy who was a beast in the playoffs, you can understand why Jim thought there might be a catch. Personally, I’m just happy the Harbaugh brothers are finally speaking again.
