The NFL trade deadline is today at 1 p.m. PT. There’s always plenty of buzz around the deadline, but, generally speaking, it never reaches the hype.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team is open to making a deal, but not at the expense of the 49ers future:
“We’re open for stuff that we think that could help us now, but we don’t want to do that to the expense of hurting us in the future and there’s a lot of things that go into it. So I won’t say never, but I’d be surprised if something that happened.”
Are there any deals that would make sense? The idea of moving Jimmy Garoppolo is appealing to some fans, but both sides would have to jump through several hoops to make a deal happen. First, Jimmy would have to waive his no-trade clause while the team acquiring him would need the cap space.
Aside from that, the Niners don’t have a surplus at any position. No way they would move Trey Sermon, who is on the outside looking in — and that’s before Jeff Wilson Jr. returns, right?
The 49ers could use a cornerback, but teams aren’t lining up to give away a premium position. San Francisco isn’t a player away as they were in 2019. That’s part of the reason Shanahan would be surprised if a move would be made.
They could always package multiple Day 2 picks as the Rams did to land Von Miller. The Niners did so with Dee Ford and Emmanuel Sanders.
This isn’t Madden. You have to factor in the emotional element, among several other factors. That’s why Shanahan would only go as far as “there’s always a possibility” for a trade:
There’s always the possibility, those guys talk through everything. I’d be surprised if we did, you know those trades aren’t always as easy as they seem. That’s why I think there’s a lot of talk through all 32 teams, but when it comes down to it there’s not many that actually happen. We’re open for stuff that we think that could help us now, but we don’t want to do that to the expense of hurting us in the future and there’s a lot of things that go into it. So I won’t say never, but I’d be surprised if something that happened.”
I wonder if injuries to safeties Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt could mean the 49ers seek out a potential safety in the trade market. Texans safety Justin Reid is in the final year of his contract and is 24-years-old.
Talking through trades gives you an idea of how much of an overreaction they can be. For example, Ward is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a quad strain. So you sign Tavon Wilson in the offseason to fill in temporarily for Ward in these specific situations.
Back to the Rams trade, here’s what Shanahan had to say about Miller:
“It’s like anybody who has got to play against them, you don’t want to add Von Miller to the mix. But that’s part of this league and it’s part of what happens. You have to be ready for anything. I know Von’s a real good player and he will definitely help them. I don’t know exactly the details of cap wise or money, what they did for it, but that’s going to help them right now. That’s for sure.”
“I do think it adds a lot more competition to this league and the more one person’s risky, the more it makes a lot of people be risky because you got to compete and you got to keep up with those things. But they all work out different”
Yes, I’m aware the Broncos paid for draft picks, and the situation isn’t apples to apples. Still, there are ways to manipulate the cap and get creative to land the player you want.
As for Miller, the 49ers will have the unfortunate opportunity to see him and Aaron Donald front and center in a couple of Mondays.
Shanahan’s point about one move a team makes and how it could lead to a domino effect is salient. It doesn’t seem as though any of the rest of the NFC West would make a trade. That doesn’t mean the rest of the NFC won’t. We’ll find out this afternoon.
Loading comments...