Tag: 49ers trade rumors

Are the Commanders a threat to swoop in and trade for 49ers All-Pro WR?

Are the Commanders suddenly a threat to swoop in and trade for Brandon Aiyuk?

What happened to the Washington Commanders?

The San Francisco 49ers gave wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk permission to talk to the Commanders and three other teams at the outset of their trade discussions. The 49ers have worked out deals with three of those teams – the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.

It never seemed like the Commanders were in the mix despite Aiyuk’s apparent desire to play there.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver and NFL Media’s Peter Schrager have both recently floated the Commanders idea again after Washington acquired an additional third-round pick in a trade that sent wide receiver Jahan Dotson to the Eagles.

There are plenty of dots to connect between the teams. Commanders general manager Adam Peters was in the 49ers’ front office for the entire Kyle Shanahan-John Lynch tenure until this offseason. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels also played at Arizona State with Aiyuk. Tack on a new third-round pick to play with and things get interesting.

The problem here is the Commanders have never appeared to have any interest in pursuing Aiyuk. There hasn’t been any reporting about Washington offering Aiyuk a contract, which helps explain why they’re the only team of the initial four to not work out a trade with the 49ers.

If they weren’t willing to have those talks in early August, it’s hard to imagine they’re going to suddenly pick up the phone and try to work out a trade less than two weeks before the regular season begins.

Alas, the rumor mill is going to churn until there’s a resolution to the Aiyuk contract saga. Things are still at the same tipping point they’ve been at for awhile. The Steelers are hoping to trade for Aiyuk and have a deal in place with the 49ers. Meanwhile, San Francisco and their All-Pro wide receiver are one hurdle away from coming to an agreement on a deal.

While the Commanders make sense as a trade partner logically, it appears  Aiyuk will suit up for either the Steelers or 49ers (with a lean toward the latter) this season.

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What would Brandon Aiyuk trade even look like?

Here’s what a Brandon Aiyuk trade might look like if contract talks go completely off the rails.

We’ve spent a lot of time explaining all the reasons the 49ers wouldn’t likely aim to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but the possibility is still out there no matter how small. Let’s for a moment venture into the hypothetical world where the team decides it is so fed up with the 26-year-old All-Pro that it’d rather trade him than have him play on his fifth-year option.

Even in this hypothetical world there’s one overarching truth that will work as the foundation for all of the 49ers’ roster-building efforts: the 49ers are trying to win the Super Bowl in 2024. If the urgency was cranked up to 10 last year, San Francisco purchased a new urgency system with a scale that goes to some number higher than 10.

We can also assume in this same world that the only scenario the 49ers would rather deal Aiyuk than have him play out his rookie deal is one where they’re getting a value beyond what they believe the receiver would provide in 2024.

The chances Aiyuk would play on his fifth-year option and enter next offseason as an unrestricted free agent are slim. That’s part of what the 49ers are banking on because if he decided to hold out then he wouldn’t accrue his fifth season and he’d enter the 2025 campaign one year older, minus one full year of paychecks, and still in the same spot contractually. Nevertheless, we persist.

With all that in mind, we have to build a trade that includes something that will help the 49ers in 2024. Let’s pick the Steelers since they’re the team that most often comes up in Aiyuk trade chatter on the internet.

If San Francisco is pulling the trigger on an Aiyuk trade, it would probably look something like this:

Steelers receive: Brandon Aiyuk

49ers receive: CB Joey Porter Jr., 2025 2nd-round pick

If that seems like a lot, it’s because it is!

This is the kind of deal that might sway the 49ers off of their star WR. If it isn’t Porter specifically, who would help the 49ers’ secondary in 2024 and beyond with both Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir on track for free agency next year, then it’d be a different high-quality player who would make immediate contributions.

Given that Pittsburgh wouldn’t likely agree to such a deal, it’s hard to imagine trade talks getting far if the 49ers start making/taking calls on Aiyuk again.

For now though, in the real world, the trade discussions are simply offseason fodder until training camp begins. Perhaps the 49ers believe a trade would be a better option than paying Aiyuk long-term. If they do though it’ll be a move that keeps them atop the list of Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.

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Report: 49ers likely to trade Deebo Samuel

The Ricky Pearsall pick means the 49ers are likely to trade Deebo Samuel per Mike Silver:

The 49ers don’t need to trade one of Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel this offseason. However, in the aftermath of the team selecting Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st overall pick in this year’s draft, Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting the 49ers will likely trade Samuel.

This comes on the heels of reporting from Silver prior to the draft that said the 49ers would need to be “blown away by an offer” to move on from Samuel. It appears the sentiment inside the building changed after Pearsall dropped to San Francisco at the end of Round 1. Silver wrote in a column at the Chronicle that a deal could come together before Day 2 of the draft kicks off at 4:00pm Pacific Time on Friday.

It’s unclear why the 49ers would move Samuel this year when they can afford to keep him and Aiyuk on an extension. Next season the financial waters get a little more muddy.

If San Francisco does pull the trigger on a Samuel trade it would thrust Pearsall immediately into the spotlight as the 49ers’ No. 2 wide receiver. That’s certainly the long-term plan for him regardless, but asking him to fill Samuel’s shoes as a rookie is a tough ask. Trading Samuel would be a bad idea, but it looks like the 49ers are on the verge of making such a maneuver.

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Finally, a hypothetical Brandon Aiyuk trade that makes some sense

If (IF) the 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk, this is the type of seismic deal to expect:

Hypothetical Brandon Aiyuk trades have been one of the topics du jour this NFL draft season. Much of the trade chatter around the 49ers’ star wide receiver has been publicly refuted by Aiyuk’s agent, but that hasn’t stopped some wild potential trades from being thrown about on the internet.

For the most part the fake Aiyuk trades haven’t been grounded in reality. The 49ers don’t want to move Aiyuk and there’s no reason at press time to believe he’s going to want a contract beyond what the 49ers will be willing to stomach. Still, most trades have been structured as though San Francisco is just looking to punt on the Second-Team All-Pro. Thankfully, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell in his mock draft that features trades at every pick actually proposed the type of trade we might see if Aiyuk does get moved.

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It’s worth noting the 49ers would have suitors for Aiyuk if they made him available. The chances they’d acquiesce to a trade that landed them anything less than a first-round pick in this year’s draft seem slim. That’s why Barnwell’s proposed trade works. He has San Francisco sending Aiyuk and pick Nos. 31 and 94 in this year’s draft to the Los Angeles Chargers for pick Nos. 5 and 181 this year.

To be clear, Barnwell isn’t reporting this deal. However, if we see Aiyuk dealt on Draft Night, it’ll likely be in a deal of this magnitude. It’ll be one that moves the needle pretty significantly. There’s unlikely to be a trade that features the 49ers receiving a second-round pick and a couple of other later selections.

At the fifth overall pick San Francisco would have a strong foundation to either get Aiyuk’s replacement with whichever of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze is available and atop their board. They’d also likely have their pick of offensive tackles at No. 5 overall. If they could snag a player like Notre Dame OT Joe Alt it’s hard to envision a scenario where they don’t come out of Day 1 of the draft as a pretty big winner.

Then they’d have an opportunity on Day 2 to either get aggressive in Round 2 and move up, or trade down into the third and pick up some additional capital later on Day 2 or in Day 3.

Our official stance is that we don’t believe Aiyuk will be dealt. This is a fascinating scenario though and the 49ers would have to put themselves in that kind of top-five position to even begin justifying shipping out a rising young superstar.

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Report: 49ers not expected to be players in Sam Darnold trade

There’s smoke with the 49ers and Sam Darnold trade rumors, but Ian Rapoport isn’t buying that a deal will happen.

While the 49ers continue to come up in hypothetical trades for New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport isn’t anticipating them to be active in trade talks for the former No. 3 overall pick.

Rapoport on Friday joined Murph and Mac on KNBR in San Francisco and said he’s hearing the 49ers won’t be players in a Darnold deal.

“The response I’ve received on the Sam Darnold situation is, ‘do not expect the 49ers to be in it,'” Rapoport said. “Maybe it could change I guess theoretically anything is possible, I never rule anything out in this ridiculous, stupid world. I do not expect the 49ers, as of my knowledge right now, to be in it.”

There’s been plenty of smoke surrounding Darnold and the 49ers, but there’s never been a firm report that the two clubs have discussed a swap. Peter King of NBC Sports reported the Jets were expected to receive a high second-round pick for their QB. That’s a steep price for a player who’s on the final year of his rookie contract and has yet to prove in three seasons that he can play in the NFL.

While King reported on Pro Football Talk Live that someone who knows the 49ers well laid out a scenario where San Francisco trades for Darnold and keeps Jimmy Garoppolo.

Perhaps the club is monitoring that potential scenario, but again, a high second-round pick for one year of a backup quarterback who may not be a good NFL player is a tough ask when the team could use that pick to draft a quarterback who’s cheaper for four years instead of more expensive for one.

One possible scenario and the reason the 49ers are letting themselves be tied so outwardly to Darnold is because of their relationship with Jets head coach Robert Saleh. Perhaps, and this is pure speculation, they’re ok with their perceived involvement leading to Darnold fetching New York a first-round pick. Again, that’s all a hypothetical, but it offers an explanation for all the smoke surrounding the 49ers and Darnold when someone as plugged in as Rapoport doesn’t believe they’ll actually be involved in a trade.

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49ers in good position to wait on slow-developing Deshaun Watson trade saga

The San Francisco 49ers may have to wait awhile for the Texans to make Deshaun Watson available, but they’re in a good spot to do that.

The 49ers are finally working their way into the Deshaun Watson trade conversation after most early discussions from national reporters revolved around the Dolphins and Jets. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported San Francisco is one of the teams Watson found intriguing.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a trade is imminent though, and the Texans are holding steadfast in their willingness to let Watson sit out the entire season in hopes of eventually salvaging their relationship with their franchise signal caller.

What could ensue is a long standoff between the two sides that lasts through the season. If they do wind up deciding to move on from Watson, Peter King in his Football Morning in America column noted it could happen as late as September. That would be a scenario where Houston exhausts all avenues before giving in.

Let’s go to a world where that takes place and Houston at the start of September begins fielding calls about the QB.

While it would put Watson way behind the curve with his new club to the point he may not be able to start the season, it could make a hefty trade package easy for San Francisco to pull the trigger on.

Assuming it includes at least three first-round picks, there’s a strong likelihood those picks would all be late selections given what Watson would do for head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers’ offense. They’d also have this year’s No. 12 pick on the roster and wouldn’t have to include it in that group of picks.

It’d also make a team like the Jets or Dolphins less enticing trade partners since they’d no longer have the second and third picks in this year’s draft — one of the key reasons they’ve been named as possible trade candidates.

The long wait would also be easier because of the 49ers’ willingness to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s not the ideal quarterback, but they’re also not itching to part ways with him. If they have to sit on their hands while waiting for Watson to come available, they can do so knowing they have a signal caller they’re comfortable with if a trade never comes to fruition.

A name like Watson’s even getting whispers on the trade market will make him a story until he’s either suiting up for Houston again or until he’s finally moved. It sounds like it could be a long wait on an eventual trade, but San Francisco is in a good position to wait, and Watson is a potential trade target worth waiting for.

Kirk Cousins trade to 49ers doesn’t make much sense

A trade between the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings for Kirk Cousins wouldn’t make much sense.

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Kirk Cousins and Kyle Shanahan have been inextricably linked since it became known the 49ers’ head coach was aiming to sign Cousins during the 2018 offseason when the quarterback hit free agency. A mid-season trade for Jimmy Garoppolo and his five consecutive wins to finish that year for San Francisco threw a wrench in those plans. Cousins joined the Vikings on a lucrative, fully-guaranteed contract, and Garoppolo got a five-year deal from the 49ers.

The Cousins-Shanahan reunion speculation has been rampant since, and it cropped up again ahead of this year’s Super Bowl with the 49ers potentially looking to upgrade under center. ESPN’s Adam Schefter told Guy Haberman and John Middlekauff on the ‘Haberman and Middlekauff’ podcast despite internet rumors, he hadn’t heard of any 49ers interest in Cousins.

“Yeah, there’s been this Kirk Cousins talk,” Schefter said. “And I guess something could happen, but I haven’t heard that that’s the case, so I don’t know where that’s coming from.”

The question of whether Cousins offers the type of upgrade San Francisco is looking for under center is debatable. His numbers are better, but it’s certainly worth questioning whether it would be worth whatever draft capital or player the 49ers would have to unload to acquire him.

A deal between Minnesota and San Francisco doesn’t even need to get that far though. It just wouldn’t make a lot of sense from either side.

For the Vikings, they’ve gotten productive play from Cousins. He was good last year and certainly not the reason they failed to make the postseason. Moving on from him would likely be a marked step back. Not to mention dealing him before June 1 would come with $20 million in dead money in 2021, and an additional $10 million in dead money the following year. That’s a lot of dead money to carry for a player they’re probably not eager to trade.

Even a post-June 1 deal wouldn’t be cheap for Minnesota. They’d carry $10 million in dead cap each of the next two seasons according to Over the Cap.

That brings us to the 49ers, who backed out of the Matthew Stafford negotiations before even making an official offer because the price had inflated to a first-round pick by the time the Lions got back to them according to a report from Albert Breer in Sports Illustrated.

Assume the Vikings do want to move Cousins because they feel a first-round pick would be worth the dead money. San Francisco more than likely wouldn’t be willing to put their No. 12 pick on the table for him the same way they weren’t willing to for Stafford. And even if they were, his cap hit in 2022 is due to balloon up above $30 million. That’s a steep price to pay for what might only be a marginal upgrade.

Rumors of the 49ers’ interest in Cousins were always sketchy, and given the full picture on top of Schefter’s comments, it’s hard to imagine any substantial talks have or will happen between San Francisco and Minnesota.

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Report: Falcons don’t intend to trade QB Matt Ryan

NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero said the Atlanta Falcons don’t intend to trade Matt Ryan, taking one 49ers option off the board.

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One of the names often thrown out when discussing possible 49ers quarterbacks can be taken off the table. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Tuesday reported the Falcons have no intention of trading quarterback Matt Ryan or wide receiver Julio Jones.

“Matt Ryan is not going anywhere,” Pelissero said on NFL Network. “The Falcons have not had any trade conversations with any other team about Ryan, or their star wide receiver Julio Jones. And every expectation is both players are going to be on the roster in 2021.”

Ryan won the 2016 NFL MVP award while operating under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan while he was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator. The connection was a logical one. Atlanta just hired Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to be their head coach, and a new coach dealing the 35-year-old veteran for his own, younger, cheaper quarterback made sense. Given Shanahan’s history with Ryan and the 49ers’ looking around for upgrades under center, a reunion wasn’t far-fetched.

However, as Pelissero observed, Smith’s offense isn’t dramatically different from Shanahan’s. A veteran who won an MVP award in a similar system is a pretty good starting point at the roster’s most important position for a first-time head coach.

Even if the Falcons did want to trade Ryan, it wouldn’t have come cheap. According to Over the Cap, a pre-June 1 trade would cost Atlanta more than $44 million in dead money next season, $26.5 million in dead money the following year, and $8.6 in 2023.

A post-June 1 trade would’ve made it a little more palatable, but it still would’ve come with $17.9 million in dead money in 2021 and 2022, and an additional $8.6 million the following year.

It was always a long shot that Atlanta was going to move on from Ryan, and that San Francisco would see him as enough of an upgrade to part with draft picks for him. Now it sounds like those talks won’t happen, and we can cross Ryan off the short list of 49ers trade targets.

Report: 49ers never made official offer for Matthew Stafford

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported the San Francisco 49ers’ involvement in the Matthew Stafford trade was minimal.

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It turns out the 49ers’ involvement in the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes was relatively minimal. A report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that details the negotiations indicates San Francisco never even made an offer for the 12-year veteran.

As many as nine teams touched base with the Lions about Stafford, but the Panthers, Washington and the Rams, where he was eventually dealt, made offers that included a first-round pick. The 49ers were never willing to go that high in part because of their comfort moving forward with Jimmy Garoppolo.

Via Breer:

The Niners talked to the Lions in Mobile, but at the time were a little lukewarm and never made an official offer. They’d planned to circle back with Detroit after the weekend, but when things escalated Saturday and the Lions called back, the price had gone beyond what they were willing to offer (in part because they’re fine going forward with Jimmy Garoppolo). My sense is the 12th pick was never going to be offered.

This tracks with what head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have said about Garoppolo’s status with the club. They’ll look at upgrades, but they’re happy with Garoppolo when he’s been healthy and they’re not going to vastly overpay for someone like Stafford.

The Rams eventually landed the Pro Bowler for two future first-round picks, a 2021 third-round choice and quarterback Jared Goff. If San Francisco was unwilling to unload even the No. 12 pick – their offer was never going to enter the stratosphere the Rams’ offer reached.

It remains unknown whether the 49ers will loosen up on that stance if they get involved in trade talks for Deshaun Watson, but their unwillingness to part with the No. 12 selection for Stafford indicates partly how much they value their pick. It also gives a look into how the club compares Garoppolo to a player like Stafford. The latter is good enough to check in on, but not good enough to get into a bidding war for.

While they didn’t make an offer this time, it’d make sense for the 49ers to be in on other potential trade talks that crop up during the offseason. If the price is right, and the upgrade is substantial enough, they could wind up pulling the trigger on a trade next time.

 

Deshaun Watson officially requests trade from Houston Texans

The NFL trade rumor mill is heating up as Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson officially requests a trade.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has officially requested a trade. ESPN’s Adam Schefter had the first report. Watson now becomes the second starting quarterback to hit the trade market this offseason, joining the Lions’ Matthew Stafford.

Watson’s trade request doesn’t come as a surprise after weeks of reporting that he was unhappy with the Texans’ ownership and front office’s handling of their general manager and head coaching hires.

An interesting wrinkle to Watson’s market is the full no-trade clause in his contract. That would essentially allow the 24-year-old to dictate where he lands.

For the 49ers’ purposes, they could be out of the running before they even get in if Watson says he doesn’t want to play in the Bay Area. However, if he does indicate a desire to play for San Francisco, it’d behoove the front office to take a long look at being as competitive as possible for the three-time Pro Bowler.

Watson last season completed 70.2 percent of his throws for a league-best 4,823 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 8.9 yards per attempt were also a league-high, and came on the heels of the Texans trading his best wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, in the offseason.

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