The San Francisco 49ers have already moved on from some of their top players in an effort to create cap space for Brock Purdy’s contract, which they’ll have to give out eventually.
For the 49ers, trading and allowing players to walk isn’t ideal. They’ve been a Super Bowl contender over the past few years, but injuries have derailed their chances at competing at the highest level.
It’s been an unfortunate situation for all involved, but it could get worse over the next year.
The 49ers could realistically move on from even more players in the next 12 months.
Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated predicted a shocking move, writing that it’s possible that San Francisco could trade Christian McCaffrey next season.
“So if McCaffrey is playing well but the 49ers are not, don’t be surprised if they trade him midseason. Because realistically, the 49ers will not be Super Bowl contenders next season, and they know it. That’s why they’re taking on so much dead cap space this year,” Cohn wrote.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Moving on from McCaffrey would signal that the 49ers don’t believe they have any chance to win a Super Bowl. At that point, why would the team pay Purdy $50-plus million a year?
Those are questions San Francisco will have to answer over the next year. Many of these decisions won’t be easy, but things could get ugly after all of the success the 49ers have found recently.
If McCaffrey gets dealt, the return likely wouldn’t be too great due to his injury history, making this an even worse situation.
Read the full article here
