Albert Breer’s Mailbag: How The 49ers Should Approach The 2025 Nfl Trade Deadline

2 bulan yang lalu

We’re little than a week distant from nan NFL waste and acquisition deadline. You person questions. I person answers. Let’s go!

From Anthony Nunes (@AnthonyNun97934): What is nan Niners mindset heading into nan waste and acquisition deadline? They person 2 patient protect ends.

Anthony, you sent this earlier nan 49ers sent a sixth-round prime to nan Patriots for Keion White (who started his week arsenic a patient scratch for New England vs. Cleveland) and a seventh-round pick. White is simply a rotational portion and reclamation task for D-line maestro Kris Kocurek, and gives San Francisco immoderate severely needed depth.

I don’t deliberation White is nan extremity of it. I could surely spot nan Niners adding different portion to nan protect statement aliases nan secondary. But there’s besides a larger mobility here: Should nan Niners support pushing chips into nan mediate of nan table?

Because of their aging core, San Francisco’s brass privately viewed past year’s draught arsenic its astir important successful years. Next year’s will beryllium likewise crucial, and they’re already down picks from trades made for Bryce Huff and Brian Robinson Jr.

Yes, San Francisco is 5–3 and successful nan heavy of things successful nan NFC. But Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are retired for nan year, Brock Purdy has a turf-toe injury, Brandon Aiyuk’s not backmost yet from a torn ACL and there’s nary guarantee that he’ll beryllium himself erstwhile he does return. That’s a batch of guys you’re profoundly invested successful that are either hobbled aliases gone. Next year, Warner will move 30 and Bosa will move 29, and they’ll beryllium coming disconnected important injuries, while Christian McCaffrey will beryllium going into his 10th NFL season, and Trent Williams will beryllium 38.

I’m not saying it’s clip for a difficult reset, but astatine immoderate point, you’re going to person to commencement retooling your core, and nan reality is nan Niners started that process pinch their handling of nan 2025 offseason. Hemorrhaging draught picks for short-term gains successful a twelvemonth for illustration this 1 will only make accomplishing that much difficult.

Minnesota Vikings

From @jmp (@jason1501free): Why didn’t @Vikings draught Bo Nix instead?

My file from nan 2024 draught weekend should shed immoderate ray connected that for you. We elaborate really nan 3 first-round quarterbacks taken extracurricular nan apical 3 picks were I.D.’d by their teams, pinch J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix successful that mix.

Specifically, Kevin O’Connell liked that McCarthy’s acquisition astatine Michigan was transferable to nan pros. He was nether halfway a batch and worked pinch a beardown tally game. He excelled successful nan play-action crippled and performed connected have-to-have-it plays connected 3rd down and successful nan reddish zone. And he had untapped diversion upside arsenic a imaginable who had conscionable turned 21.

I wouldn’t springiness up connected McCarthy conscionable yet. Minnesota is still a bully business for a young quarterback, and O’Connell is arsenic bully a developer of those arsenic location is successful nan NFL.

J.J. McCarthy is slated to return to nan Vikings for nan first clip since nan team’s Sept. 14 crippled against nan Falcons. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

From Joshua Caldwell (@traumedia): Patriots to triumph nan Super Bowl +2800. You taking that bet?

I mean, really overmuch americium I betting?

Would I stake $100 connected it to triumph $2,800? Sure, I guess.

Would I stake my owe connected it? Of people not.

Chicago Bears

From KRAWERT (@crapulaxcom): Thank you, Albert. Caleb and Ben! Does Ben Johnson support nan religion and really Caleb is improving?

Krawert, I tin commencement moving disconnected names for you: Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones.

I deliberation we’re measurement excessively speedy to walk judgement connected quarterbacks, for amended and for worse. Just 8 weeks into this season, and astir people’s views connected Williams’s draught people person changed. Drake Maye is seen successful a different light, arsenic is Jayden Daniels. The difference? Maye has caller coaches and an altered roster, and Daniels is hurt. Bo Nix is steady, while Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy, successful nan public’s view, person sunk.

Those views will astir apt alteration again. And again. And again.

The problem present is us, not them. We each person to do our backmost re-drafts, instant grades and capable our A-blocks and columns pinch this stuff. The reality is it takes clip to really know what a backmost is. He has to withstand hits, coaching changes, opponents getting a book connected him and alterations to his roster earlier we tin opportunity if a feline is genuinely elite.

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow each person gone done those ups and downs, and guidelines as, I think, nan apical 4 quarterbacks successful football—having established that complete a play of years. Williams is wildly talented and a batch much earthy than astir group (myself included) thought he would beryllium coming out. So for now, Ben Johnson is, smartly, leaning connected his tally crippled and defense, which allows much improvement for Williams.

Give them immoderate time.

From C_jackson (@sacred_fandom): Commanders person to beryllium reasoning astir trading correct now to recoup nan draught superior they traded, right?

Jack, that’s an absorbing question. The Commanders person only six picks successful adjacent year’s draft, and conscionable 2 successful nan first 4 rounds. If they can’t triumph connected Sunday nighttime successful Seattle, they’ll beryllium 3–6, having mislaid 4 straight, leaving a constrictive roadworthy for them to make it backmost to nan playoffs successful Year 2 nether Dan Quinn and Adam Peters. The roster they’ve built is getting older successful immoderate cardinal spots, truthful having picks is going to beryllium important complete nan adjacent mates of years, and moreover much truthful aft they salary Jayden Daniels (he’s eligible for an hold successful early 2027).

If they suffer to Seattle, should they perceive if teams telephone connected their players? Sure. But I’m not judge who connected nan roster would beryllium of awesome worth to personification other that nan Commanders would beryllium consenting to move. I’d presume Laremy Tunsil, Terry McLaurin and Marshon Lattimore aren’t going anyplace for a assortment of reasons. You’re evidently not going to move young guys specified arsenic Mike Sainristil, Trey Amos and Josh Conerly Jr.

Where are nan guys to move for picks? I’d moreover beryllium hesitant to move Frankie Luvu, fixed nan defense’s struggles rushing nan quarterback.

Which is simply a agelong measurement of saying I deliberation Washington’s champion people is to guidelines pat.

Denver Broncos

From Jon (@beare_58): Are nan Broncos going to beryllium progressive pinch nan waste and acquisition deadline approaching?

Jon, I emotion nan Broncos’ position successful that they really don’t person immoderate crying needs, which is an fantabulous denotation of really nan arranged matrimony betwixt Sean Payton and George Paton is going. What do they need? I deliberation nan reply mightiness beryllium a accepted “Y” tight end, which would let them to do much pinch Evan Engram.

Who mightiness that be? I would telephone nan Raiders connected Michael Mayer, though I deliberation Vegas would bent up connected nan thought of dealing him in-division (they aren’t looking to waste and acquisition him, period). And I deliberation trying to pry David Njoku from nan Browns would make sense, too.

I spot Denver now arsenic being successful a position to spell all-in. The headdress is successful awesome shape. The roster has equilibrium and younker successful a ton of cardinal spots. The backmost is connected a rookie contract. It’s analogous, successful definite ways, to wherever nan Packers were earlier making nan Micah Parsons waste and acquisition (though Green Bay’s already paid its QB). Which is why I’d opportunity an Njoku aliases a Mayer would capable a need, but I deliberation they could beryllium unfastened to a bigger swing, too.

Sean Payton has led nan Broncos to an awesome 6–2 start. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

From Cory Woodroof (@CoryWoodroof47): What’s your outlook connected Michael Penix Jr. and nan Falcons arsenic a whole?

Cory, we conscionable don’t person capable accusation connected Penix astatine this constituent to make immoderate benignant of last determination. I was excited to spot him coming into nan year. He looked bully against Washington and Buffalo, past took a measurement backmost against San Francisco, and has ridden nan roller coaster that nan Falcons’ play has been to this point. So nan assemblage is still out.

Dallas Cowboys

From Bobby D. Roberson (@BobbyDRoberson1): Would nan Cowboys beryllium consenting to waste and acquisition Pickens? If they’re not consenting to motion him semipermanent and this twelvemonth doesn’t look for illustration 1 wherever they’ll beryllium SB contenders, wouldn’t it make much consciousness to get max worth for him astatine nan waste and acquisition deadline?

My conjecture is they won’t waste and acquisition Pickens. He’s connected gait for 91 catches, 1,456 yards and 13 touchdowns, and, yes, he’s a free supplier aft this year. I’d opportunity things are trending toward Pickens being tagged successful March, which would let Dallas to either activity retired a semipermanent deal, waste and acquisition him aliases support him connected nan roster for different year.

I don’t deliberation his waste and acquisition worth now is markedly amended than it will beryllium successful March, for what that’s worth. So, I’m not judge there’s immoderate use to acting now connected it, either.

From Matt Elliott (@elliottm_3): What would it return for nan Bengals to occurrence Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin?

Matt, let’s look astatine nan record. In his 3rd year, Taylor went to nan Super Bowl. In his 4th year, he was successful nan AFC title game. In his 5th year, he mislaid Joe Burrow for 7 games and still went 9–8. Last year, pinch a historically bad defense, nan discourtesy group each kinds of records, and Cincinnati was 9–8 again. Tobin, meanwhile, has had his ups and downs successful nan draft, arsenic each execs do, but has put together bully teams.

I dislike Burrow’s wounded luck, for Burrow himself astir of all, for Taylor, and for nan full team. The Bengals were connected nan verge of going connected a large run, coming disconnected consecutive AFC title games, and Burrow’s absence has undermined each that. But tin you opportunity pinch a consecutive look that nan Ravens, Bills aliases Chiefs would’ve done amended without their quarterbacks?

I don’t know. I tin understand if nan Bengals had Burrow throughout, and kept coming adjacent but missing, past you’d want to make a move, à la nan Bucs firing Tony Dungy and trading for Jon Gruden a procreation ago. But that’s not really this has gone.

Tush push

From B (@Byrnes33): With caller talk of banning nan tush push successful 2026 because it is difficult to officiate, what circumstantial component(s) of nan play do you expect being banned and really will those changes make it easier to officiate?

So B, I deliberation if you outright prohibition nan expertise to push aliases propulsion a teammate, arsenic discussed, it won’t free nan NFL of nan problem altogether. The “push” is conscionable portion of nan Eagles’ play, and I don’t judge that peculiar norm alteration will free nan NFL of nan rugby scrum constituent of it.

But I’ve travel each nan measurement astir connected nan officiating portion of it. It’s for illustration each clip a imaginable turnover (as nan Chiefs and Giants games show) goes to nan offense, which has stripped nan defense of 1 of nan champion ways to make Philly salary for moving it—to punch nan shot out.

That is wherever this became a fairness thing.

From Craig Smith (@smithcp1): The Sark to NFL rumor was changeable down complete nan weekend. Which existent assemblage HCs would pull nan astir interest/attention from NFL decision-makers?

Texas’s Steve Sarkisian is, indeed, one, and I deliberation he will elicit interest. Much arsenic I dislike to put his sanction connected nan list, because I want my alma mater to support him, Ohio State’s Ryan Day has to beryllium connected there, too. I’d opportunity Kalen DeBoer astatine Alabama is different coach who has earned a ton of respect successful NFL circles complete nan past fewer years. I wonderment whether OC, Ryan Grubb, failing astatine nan NFL level, would impact nan thought that he’d translate.

Then, I deliberation there’s a more-with-less category, what I’d telephone nan “Brad Stevens” division. In that grouping, I mightiness springiness you Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell arsenic programme builders who’d beryllium intriguing to NFL folks.

Jacksonville Jaguars

From JDins5 (@JDins_5): Optimistic Jags instrumentality present concerned astir nan BTJ developments this play aft specified a beardown 2024. How americium I expected to consciousness and what should my assurance successful this discourtesy beryllium successful nan backmost half of nan season?

I answered this 1 connected nan video mailbag. Be judge to cheque that out! (The Jags won’t waste and acquisition him, truthful springiness this 1 immoderate time.)

From Wendell Ferreira (@wendellfp): Romeo Doubs, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, Quay Walker, Kingsley Enagbare are each free agents. Do you expect nan Packers to widen immoderate of them?

Walker is 1 that’s peculiarly absorbing to me, and nan Packers person immoderate elasticity successful that they could move erstwhile first-rounder Jordan Morgan complete (though I deliberation they for illustration him astatine guard), aliases task rookie Anthony Belton into that spot for 2026. Of nan group you mentioned, I deliberation Walker mightiness beryllium adjacent connected nan list, arsenic a feline who’s played 470 of nan Packers’ 475 protect snaps this year.