The NFL trade deadline is five days away, and that means NFL media is speculating on potential trade ideas. We heard rumors about Joe Staley and Torrey Smith, but those have quieted down the last couple days. The 49ers are in the very early stages of a huge rebuilding process, so it is no surprise to hear names thrown around.
NFL.com put together a logical move for each team in the NFL. In the NFC section, they kept it pretty simple with the 49ers: “Sell anything anyone is possibly interested in who wasn't a recent first- or second-round pick.”
The 49ers section focused on Joe Staley and Torrey Smith. They suggested potential compensation could be a second-round pick for Staley, and a fifth-round pick for Smith. In terms of potential partners, they listed the Broncos and Vikings for Staley, and the Ravens, Eagles, Panthers, and Cowboys for Smith.
The article looked at each team in the NFC, with each AFC team coming on Friday. They suggested 49ers players to several NFC teams:
- Arizona Cardinals: Buy Joe Staley
- Minnesota Vikings: Buy offensive linemen
- Philadelphia Eagles: Buy wide receivers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Buy Torrey Smith
It was interesting that for the Seahawks, they suggested Joe Thomas. Considering they mentioned Staley to the Cardinals, why not also mention him to the Seahawks? Either team raises plenty of questions about trading within the division, but considering the state of the 49ers, I don’t think it should matter. Given how the 49ers currently look, by the time they are competing for a division title, Staley could very well be retired. And if not, he’d be near the end of his career and it would not be a huge deal.
I don’t think the 49ers end up dealing Staley or Smith, in part because NFL trades are just so rare. But if the 49ers were to do such a deal, there is no reason to not consider division rivals.