The San Francisco 49ers received the worst news possible on edge rusher Nick Bosa as he suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals and will miss the rest of the season.
San Francisco needs to make a blockbuster trade with the Cincinnati Bengals to save its season.
With the Bengals missing their star quarterback, Joe Burrow, and suffering the worst loss in the history of their franchise on Sunday, they may need to scramble to figure things out at quarterback since Burrow could reportedly miss the rest of the season.
Cincinnati has a need at quarterback, while the Niners have a need at edge rusher after losing Bosa for the year.
That is why these two teams could help each other out by swinging a blockbuster trade that would send Mac Jones to the Bengals in exchange for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
49ers can trade Mac Jones to Bengals for Trey Hendrickson
Obviously, this would not be a one-for-one trade. The Niners would have to send draft picks along with Jones, who has proven his worth over two starts, in order to land the All-Pro rusher. But it could be the only way for San Francisco to preserve its season after losing a player as massive as Bosa.
For those who think a crazy trade for an edge rusher is impossible, look no further than the massive trade between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers that sent Micah Parsons to the Packers.
Hendrickson would be the perfect player to replace Bosa. He had 17.5 sacks each of the last two seasons and has proven himself to be one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. He already has two sacks through three games this season.
The Bengals re-worked his contract prior to this season after a hold-in and a trade request, which bumped his salary up to $30 million for 2025. Still, Hendrickson will be a free agent following this season, so if the Bengals do not plan on paying him, they may decide it's in their best interest to at least get a solid QB and some draft picks for him rather than just watching him walk in free agency.
This would be a crazy move, no doubt. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and the 49ers need to do something to address the massive void left on defense after Bosa's injury.
This move could save the team's season.