Tag: colts rumors

49ers should make no-brainer move, trade for former All-Pro defensive lineman

This is a no-brainer move the 49ers should make if it’s there.

There’s a clear top need for the San Francisco 49ers with the 2024 NFL trade deadline approaching.

While the 49ers could use depth at several positions, the defensive line is the unit that they’d benefit the most from upgrading. Despite improved production in the secondary, San Francisco’s defensive philosophy revolves disruptive play up front.

If the Indianapolis Colts are willing to do business, the 49ers should aim to bring back their former first-round pick DeForest Buckner. He was on IR with a high ankle sprain, but returned for the Colts’ Week 8 matchup with the Houston Texans.

From the 49ers’ perspective, the fit is a no-brainer despite the injury.

They need an interior defensive lineman who can push the pocket as a pass rusher while also holding up well against the run. Buckner one of the most consistent players at the position in the NFL. He’s never had fewer than 48 pressures in a season, and he’s had at least 7.0 sacks every year since 2019. Not to mention his fit would be seamless on a club he spent the first four years of his career with.

The Colts signed Buckner, 30,  to a two-year, $46 million deal in the offseason. He’ll be owed $23 million guaranteed next year with no additional guaranteed money after that. San Francisco could drop his cap hit next year by either restructuring his deal or extending him and spreading that cap hit out over a few seasons.

It’s a little murkier from the Colts’ perspective. They’re 4-4 heading into Week 9 and two games back of the AFC South-leading Texans.

They’ve also made a change at quarterback by plugging in veteran Joe Flacco for struggling 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson. That’s a clear indication they’re trying to win now and probably not eager to give up a key piece of their defensive line.

However, if Indianapolis falls to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in their final game before the trade deadline, they might be more eager to make a deal and recoup an asset or two for Buckner knowing the playoffs are probably not in the cards for them this season.

If Buckner can be had for something like a third or fourth-round pick in next year’s draft, the 49ers should be first in line to make that deal.

Trading him away initially was a mistake. Trading to get him back could save their season.

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49ers, Frank Gore issue statements on Tom Rathman’s retirement from coaching

Former 49ers FB Tom Rathman announced his retirement after 31 seasons in the NFL as a player and coach.

Legendary 49ers fullback and running backs coach Tom Rathman on Thursday announced his retirement from coaching. The Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame member spent 31 years in the NFL as a player and coach.

Rathman began his playing career with the 49ers in 1986 as a third-round pick out of Nebraska. He spent his first eight seasons in San Francisco where he was an integral part of two Super Bowl winners before finishing his career with one season in Oakland.

For his career, he posted 2,020 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground, along with 2,684 receiving yards and eight touchdowns through the air.

San Francisco was also where Rathman got his start in the coaching ranks. He joined the 49ers’ coaching staff in 1997 as the running backs coach, a position he held through the 2002 campaign. From there, he went to Detroit for three seasons, Oakland for three seasons, and then back to the 49ers for eight years. He made his second exit from San Francisco when head coach Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017.

Rathman took the 2017 season off before joining the Colts coaching staff where he spent the final three seasons of his career.

The 49ers issued a statement on their longtime player and coach, calling him the “quintessential 49er in every way.”

The 49ers family would like to congratulate Tom Rathman on concluding a tremendous, 31-year career as both a player and a coach in the National Football League. During more than two decades as a 49er, he left an indelible mark on our organization, the players he coached and the defenders he battled. Tom coached his players the same way he played the game, with a selfless, hard-nosed dedication to getting the best out of himself and those around him. A member of the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame, he is the quintessential 49er in every way. We are so happy for Tom, his wife, Holly, and their family, as he steps away from the game to which he gave so much.

Along with the team statement, longtime 49ers running back Frank Gore took time to congratulate his former coach, capped with a phrase Rathman frequently utilized in practice:

I want to congratulate Tom on a Hall of Fame career – both as a player and a coach. Tom was a father-figure to me. He came into my life and career at the perfect time. He challenged me every day to be better, both on the field and off, and I always wanted to make him proud. Tom helped me see the big picture of football and I wouldn’t have had as much success throughout my career without him. I love him. SQUEEZE IT!

Gore was drafted by the 49ers in 2005 between Rathman’s stints as the 49ers’ running backs coach, but the two spent six seasons together between 2009 and 2014 – Gore’s final year in a 49ers uniform.