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The 49ers have kept quiet thus far with the trade deadline Tuesday at 1 p.m. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, however, they could be in a position to sell, with teams reportedly interested in acquiring 32-year-old receiver Pierre Garcon.
Per Schefter: “The 49ers have fielded calls from at least three teams in the past week inquiring whether Garcon is available, and San Francisco has listened to what others are offering as talks are expected to continue after Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, according to sources.”
Garcon has produced just 21 catches for 230 yards in seven appearances this season. He has battled shoulder and knee injuries, which will keep him out of San Francisco’s away matchup with the Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon. His 2017 season, his first with the 49ers, was cut short when he suffered a neck injury in Week 9 that sidelined him for the rest of the season. But he was much more productive, catching 40 passes for 500 yards in eight appearances.
Garcon is scheduled to earn $6.63 million in base salary this season and $5.65 million in base salary in 2019. If a team were to acquire Garcon, it would pay the remainder of Garcon’s 2018 contract and his 2019 non-guaranteed deal.
If Garcon were to be traded, that would mean bigger roles for rookie Dante Pettis and Kendrick Bourne, players who could replace Garcon at the “Z” spot in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
The 49ers have long maintained they would entertain all options to improve the roster. Around this time last year, the 49ers’ season changed entirely when they traded a second-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo. After five straight wins to close the season, he signed a then-record-breaking five-year, $137.5 million contract with the team. In a much lower-profile move, the 49ers also traded wide receiver Rashard Robinson for a fifth-round draft pick prior to last year’s deadline.