Pros and cons for a 49ers trade for Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown
By Peter Panacy
Cons against 49ers trading for Antonio Brown
The compensation the Niners would have to give up for Antonio Brown is significant. This wouldn’t be the case like the 2013 deal that saw San Francisco dish out a sixth-round draft pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a still-productive wide receiver, Anquan Boldin.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ second-round pick in 2019, No. 36 overall, is still highly valuable. One can tack on all the Niners’ needs on defense, recognizing how deep this year’s draft class is, defensively, and see that Round 2 pick as a highly prized commodity John Lynch and Co. will need. Sure, some mid- or late-round picks in 2020 could help sweeten the deal. But San Francisco would still have to give up a lot.
Cap space to absorb a Brown contract isn’t an issue for the 49ers, fortunately. But there’s a likely bidding war that would ensue between any plausible Niners deal and others wanting to put Brown in their ranks.
FanSided’s Dave Stevenson ranked the Green Bay Packers as the top contender for Brown’s services in 2019, citing the fact they have an extra first-round pick (the New Orleans Saints’ Round 1 selection), which would be far more enticing than anything San Francisco would likely be willing to give up.
Plus, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Wide receiver is a need for Green Bay, too.
On top of all that, Brown will turn 31 years old before the 2019 season begins. Signed through 2021, Brown still won’t come cheap. And if his production level starts to slough off, that would be money the Niners wish they would have spent elsewhere.