Report: Marquise Goodwin has been discussed in potential trade talks

At the NFL Combine, San Francisco 49ers head coach said that veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was too valuable to cut, and hinted at trading the speedy wideout:

“We wouldn’t release Marquise. He’s too valuable. I know he fell out of the rotation last year, then he had an injury (and) wanted to go on IR so he could get it cleaned up. I think it is right now. I haven’t seen him for a while. Marquise is a guy who can play in this league. If he’s on this team, he’s going to be competing with that group and, if not, I feel pretty confident another team would want him.”

On Friday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that “one name that has been discussed in trade talks is Goodwin, who is due over $10 million over two years, so his contract can be traded. Rapoport referenced that the 49ers’ young receiving core is emerging. The core is emerging, but I also think there has been some blind faith in a few players on the roster. Jalen Hurd’s back issues have to scare the team. You hardly ever hear about somebody having a back injury and that injury not linger. Trent Taylor is out of his walking boot, but he’s had five surgeries. Can the 49ers count on him to stay healthy for a full season? That’s why you see the 49ers linked to wide receivers in the NFL Draft and free agency. After Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne, all you have are question marks with Emmanuel Sanders being an unrestricted free agent.

That brings us back to Goodwin. If the 49ers trade Marquise, they will save $3.6 million against the cap, while there would bee about $1.2 million in dead money. Goodwin is a veteran that still has value in this league, so there will be a market. How strong that market is will be an entirely different story. If you’re thinking the team is going to get a second or third-round pick for Goodwin, think again. Realistically, the 49ers would fetch a fourth or fifth-round pick for Goodwin. The free agency wide receiver group is relatively strong, and the wideouts in the draft are thought to be the strongest class in the last decade. That hurts Goodwin’s value.

The 29-year-old Olympic Jumper is still one of the faster players in the NFL, as we saw last summer. Goodwin was phased out of the offense and eventually went on IR toward the end of the season. That also hurts his value. The 49ers being able to get a draft pick for Goodwin is a big win. Even if it’s a Day 3 pick, that could be packaged to move up, the Niners currently have two fifth-round selections, let’s say Goodwin turns into a third fifth-rounder. That gives Lynch ammo to move back into the fourth round if a player he covets falls. Also, another pick to throw into a deal for a potential player trade the team may make.