The Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins have discussed a trade that would send wide receiver Jarvis Landry and a third-round pick to Chicago in exchange for running back Jordan Howard and a swap of first-round picks, according to John Mullin of NBC Sports Chicago.
That would be a huge trade, though the player aspects of it aren’t that surprising. Landry was franchise-tagged by the Dolphins, and many believe it was done with the express purpose of tag-and-trade, so Landry will surely play somewhere else next season.
It’s worth noting that Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network has refuted the idea that the Bears are willing to trade Jordan Howard, but that doesn’t mean this report is dead, as aspects of it could certainly still happen.
This is also of particular interest to the San Francisco 49ers for a couple reasons. The first is that Landry is a great receiver and some have wondered if the team could be interested in dealing for him. Kyle Shanahan stopped just short of suggesting the wide receiver position wasn’t a concern this offseason when speaking at the NFL Combine, but it’s still relevant.
But it’s also relevant because the Bears pick eighth overall, one in front of the 49ers, while the Dolphins pick 11th overall. It would be a minor swap with major implications, as many have mocked guard Quenton Nelson and other players the 49ers could be interested in to the Bears.
Any team wanting to get in front of the 49ers and Raiders for a cornerback, guard, edge rusher or linebacker could probably find a willing trade partner in the Bears. But the Dolphins seem likely to be interested in jumping a few spots so they can draft a quarterback to eventually replace Ryan Tannehill, who simply isn’t working out. That’s just my guess — they could be interested in anybody, or just really like Howard.
Quarterback, of course, is not a need for the 49ers. Some will ask if it’s still possible the 49ers can deal for Landry, and I could see a similar swap working unless the Dolphins felt it likely that another quarterback-needy team was capable of moving up in a deal with the Bears. The desire to move up to the Bears makes sense, as multiple teams in that area would probably be receptive to a trade, including the 49ers and Oakland Raiders.