How the San Francisco 49ers Can Win the Tremendous Bowl This Season
For the San Francisco 49ers, the superbowl window is wide open. How can they jump through and get their sixth championship?
At the start of the off-season, the 49ers were at a crossroads. They had the fourth oldest squad in the NFL in 2020, and as they navigated through the free agency, the roster became the second oldest in the league. For many it seemed like the right step to keep their big names as free agents on the team.
But what if it doesn’t work? An aging squad that doesn’t win is almost impossible to fix without blowing the whole thing up and down. However, on March 26th, much like in the movie Dumb and Dumber, when Lloyd Christmas swapped the puppy mobile for a scooter that got 70 miles per gallon, the 49ers redeemed themselves completely! Some would argue that three first-round picks are too big for the third quarterback to be included in a draft. Fair point, but there are two things that make the deal absolutely worthwhile. First, you don’t pay a quarterback nearly as much on a rookie pay scale as a proven veteran. Second, skipping first-round picks means even more money savings for the next few years.
If a franchise has cash for the next several years, it doesn’t have to make difficult decisions. Decisions that rock a fan base to the core, one like eliminating a real leader and star in DeForest Buckner. In fact, it does the opposite, it means that not only can they keep talent in the house, but they can splurge on seasoned veterans as well. As it stands today, if the 49ers hand over the keys to Trey Lance as they move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, they can have the most space in the NFL.
Have you ever played poker and were the chip leaders at the table? It allows you to bully your opponents and force them to fold hands they would normally play even if you don’t have the best hand at the table. The good friends of the 49ers join the Miami Dolphins starting March 26th.
You currently have a strong hand with a great cornerback tandem, but the flop came and it doesn’t look good. Xavien Howard requested a trade, worse, he did so publicly, and he did it for the Dolphins at arguably the worst time of the year to get the maximum value for him. A little over a year ago, Darius Slay was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for third and fifth round draft picks. Slay was 29 and had three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and was All Pro on the first team in 2017. Howard is 28 years old and came from his second Pro Bowl appearance and first all-pro selection on the first team. This tells me that Howard is available for second and fourth round draft picks.
As it stands now, the 49ers’ biggest concern is their cornerback depth. Your best corner, Jason Verrett, is 29 years old and has a long history of injuries. If he missed the time, it could affect the 49ers’ chances of a Lombardi trophy. It is clear that the 49ers will likely spend their second round selection in a corner in 2022 as they will have multiple free agents in the position who will be over thirty years old.
If Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch want this team to climb through the proverbial window, they must continue to take risks and be willing to spend big while they have the money. It’s time to end Garoppolo’s contract and bet on a player of Howard’s caliber.
