49ers news: Plenty of NFL trade deadline deals impact San Francisco

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Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

The 49ers have been quiet in the waning hours up to the 2021 NFL trade deadline, but there have been other waves across the league that shake things up.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday he wasn’t expecting general manager John Lynch to make some sort of aggressive move ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

Although he did suggest the Niners would consider making a move as long as it didn’t jeopardize the team’s long-term plans.

While the NFL trade deadline doesn’t always include the sheer number of blockbuster-type deals seen in other major sports, 2021 has already revealed a few major shakeups, some of which directly impact San Francisco.

Let’s break down some of the big-name transactions across the league and discuss their effects upon a 3-4 49ers team looking to get back in the playoff discussion.

49ers play a Rams team now reinforced with Von Miller

The Los Angeles Rams are a case study in why the salary cap is just an imaginary number. Or, at the very least, how a rich team can simply get richer by engineering a beneficial trade.

In arguably the biggest blockbuster move ahead of the deadline, the Rams engineered a move with the Denver Broncos by sending off two day-two NFL Draft picks in exchange for eight-time Pro Bowl EDGE Von Miller. And to make things even more provocative, the Broncos will eat the bulk of Miller’s remaining salary this season.

Miller, 32 years old, has three sacks against the Niners in two career games. Now, he’ll pair with arguably the top defensive player in the NFL, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and San Francisco is less than fortunate enough to yet play Los Angeles this season, the bouts in Weeks 10 and 18 still on the table.

There’s a smaller wrinkle, though, too. A small argument could be make the 49ers may consider trading quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the Broncos, who’ll likely be looking for an upgrade over their signal-callers, Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, between now and the start of next year.

Armed with even more draft capital now, a would-be Garoppolo deal to Denver seems much less likely.