3 players 49ers may explore trading in 2020 offseason
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Defensive End Solomon Thomas
Remember when there were rumors the 49ers were looking to trade their top pick from the 2017 NFL Draft, defensive end Solomon Thomas, just before the 2019 draft?
No trade ever materialized, suggesting the Niners were still hopeful Thomas would finally assert himself as a one-time top-three draft selection. But it never materialized, as Thomas ended up little more than a rotational player, appearing on just over 41 percent of the defense’s snaps last season.
Granted, San Francisco has some key defensive line questions this offseason, namely surrounding pending free agents, defensive linemen Arik Armstead and Ronald Blair. But with Thomas commanding nearly $9 million in year four of his rookie contract, one has to think the 49ers try moving him to clear cap space and afford to bring back both Armstead and Blair.
Thomas still has the potential to resurrect his otherwise disappointing career. Yet the Niners might have to get creative to move him and his salary.
It’s something Niners Nation’s Patrick Holloway brought up, recently:
"So the answer is simple: trade Thomas and a draft pick to a team willing to take Thomas and also that salary. Before you say this idea is nuts, think of it this way: would you rather have the 49ers use that late pick to lock in one of their free agents on a long-term deal or use it on someone with a high percentage of not panning out? So straight across, a team gets a former first-round pick in Thomas, an additional late-round pick, and then takes on his [salary]."
Trading assets along with players is already a thing in both the NBA and MLB, and they’re becoming increasingly common in the NFL, too.
San Francisco has two picks in Round 5 and another two in Round 7. There’s a sixth rounder in there as well.
As far as teams needing a ton of defensive help, well, the Cincinnati Bengals are defensively terrible in that regard. With a good amount of cap space and quarterback Andy Dalton on the way out, they could take on Thomas’ contract.
While the pick swap in the wrong direction of a player trade seems counterproductive, it does clear up the amount of money owed to Thomas, which could then be used to re-sign some of those key free agents the 49ers would like to bring back.
Players like Blair and Armstead are far more proven than anything available in Round 5, too, making a deal like this one worth exploring.