Breer: The 49ers were waiting for the Texans to trade Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans traded quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns Friday afternoon in a deal that included three first-round picks.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, this was a move the 49ers had been waiting for:

The Niners, for one, were waiting for the Texans to move Watson, because teams involved in those talks (Carolina, New Orleans) have been expected to have some level of interest in Jimmy Garoppolo, and might make it easier for San Francisco to get its desired price (thought by other teams to be two second-round picks).

There will always be an argument about whether or not keeping Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster through the first wave of free agency played a factor in the Niners' lack of aggressiveness in pursuit of the “bigger names.”

If Garoppolo is no longer on the roster and the team has cap space, do you think Von Miller is signing up to play with Josh Allen or a 21-year-old QB? Would J.C. Jackson come to the Bay Area or play with Justin Herbert and a staff who is familiar with him?

Those are two examples, but the point remains that just because there are funds available doesn’t mean the Niners are going out of their way to splurge on high-priced players or that they’d pick San Francisco as their destination.

Back to Jimmy, and much has been made about his asking price as of late. The latest rumor is that an anonymous team has offered the 49ers two second-round picks.

The Panthers own pick No. 6, but then don’t pick against until No. 108 in the fourth round. That would cross Carolina off as a potential suitor, then given their lack of draft picks.

Unfortunately for the Niners, they don’t sit in the driver's seat as Jimmy isn’t the only option at quarterback for other teams, despite San Francisco’s patience. Breer mentions Baker Mayfield but also brings up Matt Ryan and Kyler Murray — who is going to contract issues with the Cardinals.

That means the Colts, Seahawks, Panthers, and Saints remain as options for Garoppolo. It’s evident that Jimmy isn’t either of these teams’ Plan A or B. It feels like wishful thinking that they would give up two second-round picks for a quarterback that wasn’t in their initial plans.

It’s worth noting that NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was on TV Monday saying that Mayfield isn’t in the Colts’ plans. Indianapolis could make a run at Ryan, which means the Falcons would need a quarterback. Stay tuned.