49ers WR problems a short-term issue and don’t justify blockbuster trade
Trade rumors in the NFL wide receiver market began swirling in earnest Tuesday when WFAN’s Mike Francesa tweeted that the Browns were aiming to trade Odell Beckham Jr. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs later reported that Allen Robinson requested the Bears explore a trade for him. Conversations about whether the 49ers should make a move for either player immediately cropped up on the internet.
Regardless of the validity of either report, there’s a larger discussion to be had about the 49ers making a blockbuster trade for a wide receiver. It’s just exceedingly difficult in the middle of September to see San Francisco making such a move.
The largest reason the 49ers are likely to stay out of the trade market is the presumed short-term nature of their issues at receiver. Week 1 wasn’t promising with the receiving corps racking up only four catches for 41 yards. On top of that, Richie James Jr. exited early with a hamstring injury, leaving the club with only three healthy receivers after the game.
Rookie Brandon Aiyuk is expected back for Week 2, and the plan is for Deebo Samuel to return off Injured Reserve prior to the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Eagles according to Kyle Shanahan. They also agreed to a one-year contract with Mohamed Sanu.
A fully healthy version of the receiving corps includes Samuel, Aiyuk, Sanu, James, Kendrick Bourne, Trent Taylor and Dante Pettis. That group doesn’t need a high-profile addition at the top of the depth chart, especially if Aiyuk translates his strong training camp to the regular season.
Another obstacle they encounter is one of the big ones that sprouted up in front of a trade for safety Jamal Adams. Compensation for a player like Beckham or Robinson would probably be greater than what the 49ers are willing to unload heading into a draft where they can’t afford to lose capital. With the cap set to dip by nearly $40 million from the projected number, the 49ers run into an even stickier free-agent situation than they were already in.
That leads to the financial element. Specifically with the pair mentioned in Tuesday’s rumor mill, Robinson is a free agent after this season which brings his value as a long-term asset into question since the 27-year-old will command money near the top of the receiver market in the offseason.
For Beckham, his contract in a vacuum isn’t bad. He has no guaranteed money left according to Over the Cap, with a $15.75 million cap hit in 2021, and $15 million cap hits the following two seasons aren’t bad. Regardless of the player though, the 49ers aren’t in a spot where they can just take on someone making $15 million or more beyond this season.
Trent Williams, Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams, Jaquiski Tartt and Kyle Juszczyk are among the team’s free agents next season. San Francisco already has some financial work to do if they’re going to fit more than one of those players under the cap, and part of that maneuvering likely means letting other players go.
The 49ers won’t have the roster continuity they had this offseason that allowed them to get away with a five-player draft class. They’re going to have legitimate holes on the roster that need to be filled with low-cost rookies selected with early-round picks. They already unloaded their 2021 third-round selection in the Williams trade, so discarding one or two more 2021 picks – including one or both of their first or second-round choices – isn’t a prudent use of valuable draft capital that’ll need to go to fill other positions.
A receiver the caliber of Beckham or Robinson running around in Kyle Shanahan’s offense is certainly enticing, especially after a season-opening loss to begin what the team is calling a “Revenge Tour.” The team has invested a first-round pick, two second-round selections and a third over the last three drafts though. They’ve loaded up at receiver, they’re just dealing with some injuries to open the year. Making any kind of splash move in the trade market isn’t likely in the cards for the 49ers. Doing so to fix what appears to be a short-term issue is an even smaller possibility.
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