It is the NFL offseason, so it is the time to let one's dreams and fantasies run a bit wild. Yet, sometimes the hot takes are just too untethered from reality. The controversial San Francisco 49ers beat writer Grant Cohn is a great example of that.
In a recent column, he mused that the Niners may be best served by trading quarterback Brock Purdy to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Matthew Stafford.
Right...
He argues that the 49ers are in a win-now mode while the Rams are looking for a young quarterback of the future. Perhaps these things are true, but it still does not make the proposed trade make any more sense.
Sure, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Rams head coach Sean McVay are buddies, but something tells me an intra-division trade like this with two quarterbacks would just not fly under any circumstance.
Then there is the fact that Stafford is not wholly better than Purdy. Last season, the 37-year-old Stafford threw for 3,762 passing yards in 16 games with 20 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He also had a completion percentage of 65.8.
Meanwhile, Purdy threw for 3,864 yards and had 20 touchdown passes compared to 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 323 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns. It was certainly a down year for the Iowa State product, but one cannot say with a straight face that Stafford is a clearly superior quarterback.
It should be noted that Cohn is no stranger to controversy with several 49ers players and Shanahan himself clearly fed up with Cohn's trollish ways.
The idea of Stafford being traded to San Francisco is laughable, but there are genuine rumors from reliable sources that the Rams may be interested in moving on from Stafford. If they do, perhaps Los Angeles will turn to a smiling face that is all too familiar to Niners fans in Jimmy Garoppolo.
Given Garoppolo's rough track record when he has not been coached by either Shanahan or former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, the Niners would probably welcome their staunchest division rival turning to him as their quarterback even if it is just for a year.
One thing is for sure: The 49ers are not going to trade Purdy for Stafford. Perhaps the Luka Doncic trade in the NBA has some thinking any trade in any sport is possible now, but that is simply not the case.