5 players John Lynch, 49ers would absolutely trade for in 2022

The 49ers may have to be diligent with their approach to trades this offseason, but John Lynch would certainly entertain the idea of trading for these players.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see how aggressive San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch will be when it comes to navigating the Niners’ 2022 offseason.

Lynch has never been shy about blockbuster trades. In 2017, he was part of the acquisition of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots. In 2019, San Francisco traded for EDGE Dee Ford, which was followed by the next year’s trade of Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts.

Then, of course, there was last year’s blockbuster deal to trade up to No. 3 overall in the NFL Draft in order to acquire quarterback Trey Lance.

Heading into 2022, the context is slightly different. The 49ers are without first-round picks this year and next, thanks to the Lance trade. And even with a would-be Garoppolo trade this offseason, the Niners are projected to have roughly $20 million in available cap space.

Still, there are players Lynch would love to trade for anyway.

Obviously, setting some boundaries, San Francisco would love to trade for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt. Who wouldn’t?

But let’s be realistic here and suggest trade targets who might be on the block and the 49ers would love to have if they could.

49ers trade target No. 5: EDGE Marcus Davenport, Saints

For those thinking the Niners are in a bad spot with cap space this offseason, look no further than the New Orleans Saints, who’ll have to shred a league-high $44.4 million to get under the cap, according to Over the Cap.

This’ll mean a lot of cap casualties and potentially some bargain-trade deals this offseason, and one player San Francisco wouldn’t mind getting its hands on is EDGE Marcus Davenport, who finally burst upon the scene last year with nine sacks over 11 games played after being selected 14th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Read More: 5 creative trades John Lynch could execute in 2022

It’s unclear whether or not New Orleans wants to retain Davenport, whose $9.55 million is fully guaranteed on the last year of his deal. But the Saints may have no other choice.

And with the 49ers wanting to explore additional pass-rushers to pair with EDGE Nick Bosa heading into 2022, someone like Davenport would be a welcomed addition as a one-year rental.