49ers news: NFC West rival looks to trade superstar cornerback

The 49ers are currently watching their division rivals, the Rams, tear down their roster piece by piece heading into 2023, and there’s a big move coming.

The San Francisco 49ers’ hold on the NFC West seems to be getting stronger and stronger by the week this offseason.

That’s a good thing.

While the division-rival Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals are dealing with their own challenges, the Los Angeles Rams appear poised to undergo a massive transformation after one of the worst Super Bowl defenses in recent history, a 5-12 finish in 2022 after being crowned NFL champions the previous season.

And, as many an analysis has pointed out, LA is in one of those awkward situations where it can’t rebuild with its current crop of players, and that crop isn’t poised to win anymore anyway.

So, as it seems, it’s time to tear the whole thing down.

49ers reportedly won’t have to face Rams CB Jalen Ramsey anymore

Well, at least not within the confines of the Los Angeles-San Francisco rivalry.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Rams are having discussions with other teams about dealing All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey:

If you’re thinking the 49ers are one of those teams in discussions with LA, stop.

For starters, inter-division trades are awfully rare, and it isn’t as if the Niners are in a position to both offer much and subsequently pay Ramsey after a would-be deal.

San Francisco lacks a pick in Rounds 1 and 2 of this year’s NFL Draft, and Los Angeles is likely seeking at least one of those selections from a suitor. Now, according to Over the Cap, Ramsey would cost his new team only $5.6 million in post-trade money, as the Rams would be absorbing a $19.6 million dead-money hit.

But, with just over $8 million in cap space, the 49ers would have awfully little wiggle room with which to attack NFL free agency later this March.

And that’s if LA would be willing to deal Ramsey to a division rival anyway.

Jalen Ramsey hasn’t been on winning side vs. 49ers

Ironically enough, Ramsey has squared off against the Niners in eight regular-season games, and he has been on the losing end in all of them. Granted, Ramsey’s Rams won the 2022 NFC Championship game over San Francisco. But, in the other eight, he recorded 20 tackles, eight passes broken up and two interceptions.

Still, the 49ers probably won’t care about not having to see him in a Los Angeles uniform any longer.

And, if Pelissero’s report rings true, that’ll likely be the case once a trade is made official at the start of the league new year on March 15.