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Generally speaking, there are not many weaknesses to address here in the 49ers offseason. And with the 49ers already about $12 million over the NFL salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com, there isn’t a whole lot of room to make roster changes, anyway. Still, the team does have some options, and it could get creative to address the need to upgrade at the cornerback spot opposite Charvarius Ward.
If you’re going to upgrade, why not get arguably the best young cornerback in the NFL? That’s the thinking at Bleacher Report, which has the 49ers landing a trade for Broncos star Patrick Surtain, who has been a Pro Bowler for the last two years and is still only 23 years old.
In an article titled, “Dream Offseason Trade Scenario for Every NFL Team,” B/R’s Kristopher Knox sees the 49ers making a big move for Surtain, dealing away their first-round pick in 2024 with other assets.
Should 49ers Offseason Prioritize Secondary?
It could be argued that the 49ers are not really that bad off in the secondary, especially when everyone is healthy and that if the 49ers are to use draft assets for veterans, they should address the offensive line first. Ward is among the best corners in the league and, at Pro Football Focus, his bookend Deommodore Lenoir scored a grade of 75.8 this year, which was 22nd among all corners.
Surtain’s numbers were not great last year on a poor Denver defense, but having him opposite Ward with Lenoir as the No. 3 corner would be a significant upgrade.
“Prying Surtain away from Denver wouldn’t be cheap, likely costing San Francisco its 2024 first-round pick and more,” Knox wrote. “However, he is worth that price and would immediately upgrade a secondary that faded down the stretch in Super Bowl LVIII. There’s no guarantee the 49ers could land a cornerback of Surtain’s caliber with the 31st overall pick, and given their cap situation, top free agents such as Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed aren’t overly realistic.”
“Adding Surtain would leave San Francisco with another extension to sort out in 2025, but his 2024 base salary of just $1.1 million would be extremely reasonable.”
Previous Run at Patrick Surtain Thwarted
Making a run at a trade for Surtain would not be new for the 49ers, who were aggressive at the October trade deadline and wound up adding Chase Young. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the team was after “big names” and that Surtain was among them.
Wrote Schefter on Twitter/X: “The San Francisco 49ers went looking for big names at the NFL trade deadline, checking on the availability of Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and then-Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat, among others, sources told ESPN.”
The Broncos could not be tempted to deal away Surtain, the No. 9 overall pick in 2021, and Surtain has never expressly said he wants out of Denver. But his father, Patrick Surtain Sr., did publicly plead for the Broncos to send his son elsewhere.
“Toiling in the soil!! SMH 2 you deserve better,” tweeted Surtain, the “2” referring to his son.
The sentiment might not carry all that much weight—parents blaming others for their children’s problems is nothing new—except that Surtain the First was quite the talented defensive back himself, playing 11 seasons for the Dolphins and Chiefs, and winning an All-Pro honor to go with three Pro Bowls, too.
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