The San Francisco 49ers are in a win-now window with some of the best players in their late 20s and 30s. As a result, the Niners could decide to make a trade either before or leading up to the trade deadline to help them get over the hump in a competitive NFC West.
A few days ago, on May 21, Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken revealed that he had yet to speak to Myles Garrett, despite being hired on Jan. 28. That comment has sparked trade speculation regarding the Browns’ star pass rusher.
With trade speculation surrounding Garrett continuing, 49ers on SI’s Grant Cohn spoke about whether San Francisco would make a move for Garrett after June 1.
However, Cohn doesn’t believe the Niners will make such a move, not because they wouldn’t want to trade the draft capital, but because they don’t want to spend the money to pay the player.
“Now it seems to me the Niners like to do their due diligence,” Cohn said in a May 29 video on his YouTube channel. “You’ve got to call. He’s unhappy. He wanted to play for [Jim] Schwartz. He wants to be in a wide nine. Maybe he’s had enough of Cleveland, and maybe Cleveland’s had enough of him…
“Maybe it’s time to do what Dallas did and trade him for a bunch of picks and flip him into a whole defensive line as opposed to one player.
“I’m just throwing it out there. But the Niners aren’t going to trade for Myles Garrett because they don’t want to spend any more money. It’s not that they don’t want to trade the picks. I don’t think they care. They don’t want to spend them. It’s clear.”
Myles Garrett Would Be Too Expensive for the 49ers
Moreover, Cohn believes that because the 49ers feel Joey Bosa is too expensive for their liking, Garrett would be well out of their range in terms of the money needed to pay him.
“Kyle was asked about Joey Bosa, who is not nearly as expensive as Myles Garrett in the sense that he is a free agent, and you wouldn’t have to trade for him, and you could probably get him on a one-year deal for like $10 million, as opposed to Myles Garrett, who is making $40 million a year,” the 49ers reporter added.
“And Kyle said, ‘Yeah, love to have good players on the side, good players, but probably can’t afford them.’ Can’t afford them. Why? $72 million in cash base is not enough for Joey Bosa. It is not a cap issue. It is a cash issue for the 49ers and the Yorks. And you have to remember, this is a team that talks about a quest for six.”
Last season with the Browns, Garrett played 869 total snaps, leading to a 92.7 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, he generated 84 total pressures, 25 sacks, 45 hurries, and 14 QB hits. Meanwhile, against the run, he recorded 26 solo tackles and forced three fumbles.
Do the Niners Not Want to Be Super Bowl Contenders?
Moreover, Cohn believes that the 49ers want to be competitive for a playoff spot and don’t want to make a move that puts them in the Super Bowl conversation.
“It’s a team that talks about Super Bowl or bust, but they don’t live it,“ Cohn said. “[The 49ers] don’t live that lifestyle. They just want to be competitive enough to not get fired. They just want to be competitive enough to go to the playoffs and maybe host one playoff game.”
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