With their season lost, the San Francisco 49ers may be busy at the trade deadline as they build for next week. They would be wise to make these three moves.
The San Francisco 49ers will be beginning to focus on 2019 as a hugely disappointing 2018 season drifts into its second half and past the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday.
As a result they figure to be active at the trade deadline, and could be involved as both a seller and a buyer before trading is halted for 2018 on Tuesday.
Collecting draft capital and finding reasonably priced pieces for 2019 should both be on the Niners radar, and here we break down three moves they should make at the deadline.
Pierre Garcon for a late-round pick
As much as Garcon was the big-ticket free agent signing of the Niners 2017 offseason, there is little point to him remaining on the roster. He is 32, has struggled through injuries and the 49ers can get out of his contract at the end of this season with the final three years of his deal option years.
Rather than just letting him leave for nothing at the end of the year, however, the 49ers should try to get what value they can for Garcon, who appears to have a market. Kyle Shanahan confirmed the Niners have had discussions about him with other teams and, even at this stage of his career, Garcon has enough talent to be worth a late-round pick.
Each of last year’s Super Bowl teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, have been talked about as teams looking for receiver help and sending Garcon to a contender of that ilk would be a fine reward for his commitment in what has largely been a disappointing couple of years for him.