The NFL trade deadline is a week from now, on November 1, and the San Francisco 49ers could end up getting busy. Pro Football Talk is reporting the 49ers have spoken with the Philadelphia Eagles about wide receiver Torrey Smith, but a deal is not imminent. Adam Schefter followed up saying the 49ers are interested in dealing Smith, and multiple teams have shown interest.
The Eagles are looking like a playoff contender, coming off a big win over the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings. Philadelphia has seen Carson Wentz emerge as a promising quarterback, but their wide receivers are a big questionable. Jordan Matthews is their No. 1 receiver, with Nelson Agholor a distant No. 2. Adding a speedster like Smith would be a big addition.
If the 49ers deal Smith, they would roll up $5.7 million in dead money due to the signing bonus he received when he joined the team before last season. The 49ers have plenty of cap space, so dead money would not be an issue. There is no word yet on the kind of draft pick(s) the 49ers might get in return.
This report comes after PFT’s report Sunday night that the 49ers were open to dealing Joe Staley for a first round pick. The 49ers are 1-6 and going nowhere fast. It makes sense to unload veterans and blow this thing up. None of this means the 49ers are going to get deals done, since NFL trades are fairly rare. However, the 49ers are likely the ones behind these leaks, making it clear anybody is available for the right offer. My guess is the 49ers front office let Florio and Schefter know what was up leading to these reports.