5 players SF 49ers should try moving at 2020 NFL trade deadline
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Trade Candidate No. 3: Linebacker Kwon Alexander
This one is going to be tough to engineer, but the SF 49ers would be wise to at least explore trying.
San Francisco’s highest-paid linebacker, Kwon Alexander, is also the weakest link amid this otherwise stout unit, which also boasts backers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Pro Football Focus‘ grades for the trio through five Weeks tells nearly everything you need to know here:
- Fred Warner: 83.7
- Dre Greenlaw: 69.5
- Kwon Alexander: 55.4
Warner and Greenlaw are still on their rookie contracts, yet Alexander’s $13.5 million annual average contract is quite the outlier in comparison.
That alone would make it tough.
Considering the SF 49ers’ 2021 financial obligations, though, it might be worth moving the 26 year old this season, which would free up just under $1.5 million in 2020 and almost $13.4 million in 2021.
Granted, it would take some convincing for another team to absorb that cap hit, likely requiring the Niners to ship off a draft pick as part of a would-be trade package.
Yet there are more than a few teams overloaded with cap space who need defensive help. The Jacksonville Jaguars are one such squad, and so are the Cincinnati Bengals.
John Lynch would need to work some charm here, but it would be a wise option for San Francisco to explore.