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We’re entering mock draft and mock trade season, folks. And boy, is it glorious. The NFL Draft is still more than two months away, but with two massive quarterback trades already in the rearview, the speculation over whether the 49ers will make a move shows no sign of letting up.
The latest idea? From NBC Sports’ Peter King, who proposes something of a dream for Kyle Shanahan, and a nightmare for 49ers fans. King first laid out the fact that the Texans’ stance, according to his sources, is that Deshaun Watson is off the table and Houston won’t even listen to offers for him.
But, in the hypothetical situation that a Watson trade does happen, King proposed two 49ers-related trades. The first is for Watson and the second… sends Watson to the Minnesota Vikings and Cousins to the 49ers.
Trade No. 1
Texans receive: Jimmy Garoppolo, Fred Warner, Mike McGlinchey, 2021 first rounder (12th overall), 2021 2nd rounder (43rd overall), 1st- and 3rd-round picks in 2022
49ers receive: Deshaun Watson
The logic here, per King:
“It’s a lot for the Niners to pay; of all the players in all the deals I’m proposing, Warner would be the most coveted one in my book. But he’s here because he is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would want a new deal. (McGlinchey is in exact same position, too.) Houston could view them as cornerstones for the rebuild.”
And here’s the other trade; the one that would likely make Kyle Shanahan a very happy man.
Trade No. 2
49ers receive: Kirk Cousins
Texans receive: Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers’ ’21 first rounder (12th overall), Anthony Barr, Alexander Mattison, Vikings’ 2021 first-rounder (14th overall), 2023 first-rounder, 2022 2nd-rounder and 2023 2nd-rounder
Vikings receive: Deshaun Watson
The logic for this one is that Shanahan loves Cousins, Caserio had Garoppolo in New England, and of course Minnesota would want Watson:
“This is centered on the premise that San Francisco would not want to rip apart a team and a future, and might be willing to take a lesser deal for a quarterback Shanahan has long admired. And also that Caserio, in the heart of the draft room in 2014 when the Patriots made Garoppolo a second-round pick, would want to try again with Jimmy G. It’s a wing and a prayer, but fascinating to me.”
That logic, in the abstract, makes sense. But the 12th overall pick for Cousins… not so much.