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The San Francisco 49ers passed on Matthew Stafford but the Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers rumors continue to heat up as the offseason gets fully underway post-Super Bowl. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote a lengthy article detailing 17 potential trades and landing spots for Watson. The Niners’ deal sits No. 3 in the rankings just behind the Dolphins and Panthers, but San Francisco is part of a four-team blockbuster where they land Rodgers.
Barnwell suggested a complicated four-team trade involving the 49ers, Packers, Texans and Patriots. The proposal has the 49ers snagging Rodgers in exchange for Jimmy Garoppolo, the No. 12 pick and their first two picks of the 2022 NFL Draft. Here’s a look at Barnwell’s wild proposal that finally lands the 49ers a franchise quarterback.
Packers send: QB Aaron Rodgers (to 49ers), 30th overall pick in 2021, QB Jordan Love (to Texans)
49ers send: 12th overall pick in 2021, 2022 first-round pick (to Texans), 2022 second-round pick (to Packers), QB Jimmy Garoppolo (to Patriots)
Texans send: QB Deshaun Watson (to Packers), 2022 fourth-round pick (to 49ers)
Patriots send: 142nd overall pick (to 49ers)
The Niners Are Super Bowl Contenders With Rodgers
Why would the 49ers give up so much for a 37-year old quarterback? As Barnwell points out, the answer is simple as the deal makes the Niners championship contenders. The 49ers are just a year removed from making the Super Bowl, and this is what the defendants of Garoppolo point to as a reason why the team does not need a quarterback shakeup.
Here is the problem, Garoppolo played in six or fewer games in three of his four seasons in San Francisco as the quarterback has dealt with multiple injuries. The 49ers’ Super Bowl run where Garoppolo played 16 games looks like an outlier. Barnwell explains why the 49ers should consider his proposal.
“Just a classic four-team trade with an MVP bouncing around,” Barnwell noted. “Let’s unpack this. The 49ers finally get Rodgers after drafting Alex Smith ahead of him all those years ago. They’re sending out two first-rounders and a second-rounder and getting a fourth-rounder back from the Texans. This seems like a lot, but we know the 49ers are willing to go over the top to land a player when they really want them. They have to be considered Super Bowl favorites over the next two years if they get Rodgers, and if they win a Super Bowl, nobody will care about the picks they gave up.”
Rodgers to the 49ers Makes ‘Entirely too Much Sense,’ Says NFL Insider
The chances of this Madden-like trade happening are admittedly slim, but the 49ers making a deal for a quarterback is very much in play. San Francisco may have passed on the Lions’ asking price for Stafford but that is unlikely to take them out of the quarterback market.
Green Bay continues to maintain that they have no desire to trade Rodgers, but even the Packers quarterback admitted he faces an uncertain future. CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora believes the Niners would be the top landing spot for the California kid.
“ts very early, obviously, but an Aaron Rodgers/49ers coupling would make entirely too much sense – geography, scheme, familiarity (LaFleur is a Shanahan disciple), talent,” LaCanfora tweeted on January 24. “Rodgers will be able to dictate what he wants.”
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