Golden Nuggets: Rumor Mill At It Again

Good morning folks, and a happy Thursday to you. Considering that we’ve reached the postseason, Thursday Nuggets editions no longer have the TNF preview or Wednesday injury report review. However, despite the horrible limbo of “sort-of offseason” that we (along with the fans of 19 other teams) find ourselves in, the rumor mill has thankfully cranked out enough that we can avoid focusing solely on the lost season or diving into mock drafts without the full complement of information.

Out of nowhere, New York Giants superstar WR Odell Beckham Jr. has been connected to the 49ers. He has 5 years left on a contract he signed just last year, and would require a king’s ransom to acquire - assuming the Giants are even interested in parting with him. I can’t imagine this idea is attractive to anyone other than sports writers.

There has been a minute amount of smoke regarding Pittsburgh Steelers superstar WR Antonio Brown - after a bizarre week 17 benching following behavioral issues, Brown made contact via the Twitter with several 49ers players, including George Kittle and Jimmy Garoppolo. Despite Steelers coach Mike Tomlin communicating that Brown has not sought a trade, this rumor remains marginally more likely than the 49ers acquiring OBJ - although it is still very unlikely.

Look, if either of those WRs were available at a reasonable price, which is an unlikely scenario, I’d be happy to go after them. I don’t see a future for Pierre Garcon with the team, Marquise Goodwin was a ghost for much of the season, and the youngsters behind them are relatively unproven as reliable contributors. It could be argued that the WR corps was the least productive group on the team this year, although a cogent argument could be made for the secondary group as a whole claiming that dubious honor. Adding either of these guys could add the type of threat that would force opposing defenses to alter their gameplan - but at the end of the day, the season isn’t even over. Obsessing over these rumors is totally unhealthy, and definitely putting the proverbial cart before the horse.

2018 in review | Branch, SF Chronicle | Almquist, KNBR

Defense showed signs of progress in 2018 | Wagoner, ESPN

12 49ers to reach free agency this offseason | Madson, Ninerswire

6 players signed to futures contracts | Madson, Ninerswire

Greg Papa to be voice of 49ers | Branch, SF Chronicle | Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area | Media Services, KNBR | Biderman, Sac Bee

Rumor mill connects Antonio Brown to 49ers | Kleinschmidt, NBC Sports Bay Area | KNBR Staff | Biderman, Sac Bee

Arik Armstead played week 17 with broken bone in hand | Chan, NBC Sports Bay Area

Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch want no part of Hard Knocks | Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area

George Kittle ranked top TE by PFF | Kleinschmidt, NBC Sports Bay Area

Joe Staley is excited about the culture and direction of the team | Williams, NBC Sports Bay Area

Matt Breida reached top speed of any player in 2018 | KNBR Staff