NFL trade deadline: 5 players the 49ers should try moving in 2018

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SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 21: Pierre Garcon #15 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts to a play against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on September 21, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Wide Receiver Pierre Garçon

Another NFL trade deadline candidate not exactly likely to get moved. But if the offer is there, it’s one the 49ers should explore.

Veteran wide receiver Pierre Garçon is technically signed through 2021. Yet San Francisco holds options on the final three years of his contract, meaning the team can walk away from the deal with minimal financial impact after 2018.

The reason it’s unlikely the Niners move away from Garçon this deadline is due to the sheer attrition they’ve experienced at the position. Fellow wideouts Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis and Trent Taylor have all had injury setbacks at various points this season. And removing the ever-reliable, sure-handed Garçon doesn’t exactly improve this unit.

Still, the 49ers need draft capital, and Garçon might be one of the few commodities worth any value on the open market.

Before they acquired wide receiver Josh Gordon from the Cleveland Browns, the Patriots might have been viewed as a prime trade partner for Garçon’s services. New England certainly needed additional weapons for quarterback Tom Brady, and Gordon’s presence helps alleviate that a lot.

Yet if another team winds up being short of an impact receiver, the 49ers should at least see what they could get for the veteran, whose contract options provide a nice upside to a possible suitor.