NFL trade deadline: PFF suggests 49ers make this deal with Commanders

The 49ers already made one splash move before the NFL trade deadline, grabbing Christian McCaffrey, but Pro Football Focus suggests another deal to be had.

The San Francisco 49ers announced to the rest of the NFL world that they were going to be buyers at the 2022 NFL trade deadline by making the blockbuster addition of All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey ahead of Week 7.

That trade turned out to be pretty expensive in terms of what general manager John Lynch gave up. But, with the understanding the Niners are likely to receive some notable compensatory selections for the hiring away of minority assistants over the last couple of years, Lynch nevertheless acted aggressively.

Now, with San Francisco at a 3-4 record and with a week remaining until the NFL trade deadline, one can fairly wonder if Lynch and Co. are done making deals.

According to the folks over at Pro Football Focus, though, the 49ers shouldn’t be idle just yet.

NFL trade deadline: Pro Football Focus suggests 49ers trade for Commanders CB William Jackson III

PFF just put together a compilation of trades they’d like to see go down before the deadline on Nov. 1.

Interestingly enough, the Niners made that list again as a buyer, and the one player PFF linked back to San Francisco is disgruntled Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III.

Jackson wants out and has made his intention fully known. Washington has also benched him, and it’s more than obvious that both sides merely need a fresh start. And as PFF pointed out, it’s not as if the Commanders will have a lot of trade leverage here:

"From the Commanders’ side, they just want to get rid of Jackson at this point. His benching and public trade request means he’s torpedoed any trade value he may have had previously, so the 49ers wouldn’t need much to secure his services. Jackson would be a much better fit in the single-high coverage DeMeco Ryans is fond of out in San Francisco."

What’s provocative about the deal is the 49ers would, at least in this mock trade, give up only two seventh-round NFL Draft picks in exchange for Jackson.

That’s a steal, yes, and it jives with what PFF said about the Commanders itching to get something, anything for Jackson in return.

Read More: 5 most disappointing trades in 49ers franchise history

Jackson does cost up to $4.66 million this season, according to Over the Cap, but the Niners would only have to take on the prorated amount of that 2022 salary, and they could afford to do so. Where it gets tricky is the fact Jackson commands more than $10 million in post-trade value for 2023, and that’ll be much tougher for San Francisco, especially in the wake of absorbing McCaffrey’s contract.

Either way, Jackson would help solve the 49ers’ season-ending loss of cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, and the disgruntled Washington defensive back would probably be a good fit, too.

The 2022 NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. ET.