49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t shy about his willingness to trade wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. Now he might have a suitor for the 29-year-old. The Dallas Cowboys are looking to add a slot receiver according to Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher. Fisher specifically noted Goodwin’s name alongside Cardinals receiver Christian Kirk.
San Francisco may not have a roster spot for Goodwin, so finding a trade suitor for him at any compensation would be a plus for the organization.
He’s due for a $4.9 million cap hit in 2020, and San Francisco only incurs $1.25 million in dead cap if they release or trade him. The signing of veteran receiver Travis Benjamin gives Goodwin added competition for his roster spot that was already in jeopardy.
If Dallas is looking for a low-cost receiver with elite speed, and Goodwin is their target, it’s hard to believe the 49ers would demand a ton in a swap.
Injuries have limited Goodwin to only 20 games the last two seasons, and he’s produced 35 catches for 581 yards and five touchdowns. That’s a steep drop off from the 56 receptions, 962 yards and two touchdowns in 2017 that earned him a three-year $18.85 million deal with the 49ers.
Given the signs pointing toward his release, and his limited production the last two years, the 49ers’ top asking price probably won’t be more than the Cowboys’ 2020 seventh-round pick (No. 231). That’d give San Francisco three picks in the final round in this year’s draft.
The more likely scenario is probably a conditional 2021 sixth or seventh-round pick that conveys depending on whether Goodwin makes the roster or plays in a certain amount of games.
This low level compensation is why the 49ers may decide to give Goodwin another shot. Shanahan said at the NFL combine that he wasn’t planning to just let Goodwin go without allowing him to compete for a roster spot.
“But Quise is a guy who can play in this league and if he’s on our team, he is going to be competing with that group,” he said. “And if not, I feel pretty confident that another team would want him.”
Any deal with the Cowboys would come with some assessment of risk vs. reward for the 49ers. They’re not aiming to simply give Goodwin away because he’s proven valuable when healthy, and his speed is rare. If they believe he can be healthy and competing to make the roster and help the club, then perhaps a conditional late Day 3 pick in next year’s draft won’t be enough for them. It may take a pick in this year’s draft to land him.
On the other hand, they’ll jump at that offer, or any other, if they have their minds made up that he won’t be on the team this season.
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