5 NFC teams who could become instant contenders with Antonio Brown

1. San Francisco 49ers

Around this time last year, the San Francisco 49ers were viewed as a team with a legitimate chance to take a serious leap in the NFC as a serious contender after Jimmy Garoppolo ended the 2016 season on a hot note by going 5-0.

Unfortunately, Garoppolo would watch his season come to an end early on last season after suffering a torn ACL, and as a result of the injury, the 49ers struggled to win games.

The good news for Garoppolo is when he does return from the injury, there will be plenty of young talent for the quarterback to work with. But regardless of the current potential on San Francisco, this team most likely won’t have a shot at playing in January next year if they don’t bring on additional help for Garoppolo to work with.

Even before the announcement surrounding Brown and the Steelers agreeing that moving on would be best, the 49ers were already viewed as a strong landing spot if a trade were to happen since Garoppolo was in need of a No. 1 wideout.

Now that Pittsburgh is officially exploring trade options, Garoppolo may finally get a legitimate wideout he’s been waiting for in Brown if San Francisco pulls a deal off.