While it feels like the San Francisco 49ers have already been particularly snake-bit by injuries before the regular season has even begun, teams all around the NFL are dealing with injury issues, too.
The Chicago Bears just lost safety Coby Bryant for likely most of the season after he underwent knee surgery.
This opens the door to a mutually beneficial trade scenario between the Niners and Bears.
49ers and Bears could solve each other's problems with 1 simple trade
In this hypothetical mock trade, the 49ers would send safety Ji’Ayir Brown to the Bears in exchange for edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo.
Brown’s name has been coming up in trade rumors for a while now, yet the Niners have remained committed to him. But their need at edge rusher may be more acute at this point in time.
Nick Bosa is dealing with tendinitis in his knee as he recovers from his ACL tear, Mykel Williams is still working his way back, and the rest of the edge-rusher depth chart doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.
Odeyingbo played in just eight games with the Bears last season, due to injury, and he only had one sack. Chicago gave him a three-year, $48 million deal ahead of the 2025 season, although there is a potential way out of the contract after 2026. If the Niners didn’t like him or he underperformed, they could cut him loose.
He had some solid seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, including eight sacks in 2023, so the potential is there, but the Bears may be looking to move off that contract.
One complicating factor could be the fact Brown and Odeyingbo are on very different contracts. Brown is on the final year of his rookie deal, so he is making much less money, but from a pure football standpoint, it could be a deal where both sides benefit.
The Bears would be getting a player in Brown who has shown promise during his tenure with San Francisco but has also had some struggles. He seems to be enjoying playing under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, so it would be a shame to get rid of him right as he’s getting comfortable.
Yet, the 49ers could roll with Marques Sigle alongside Malik Mustapha at safety. Sigle played pretty well as a rookie last year, so the difference between he and Brown may not be all that huge.
It would certainly be a bold trade, and deals like this are exceedingly rare in training camp and the preseason. But the Niners need more edge-rusher depth, and the Bears need help at safety, so it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Add us as a preferred source on Google