49ers Put Dante Pettis on the Trade Block

It’s about freaking time.

The 49ers have “made available” wide receiver Dante Pettis for a trade, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Pettis has just one target and zero catches this season. The past two games, the 49ers made him inactive, meaning he didn’t even suit up. Didn’t even get to wear pads. Had to watch the game from the sideline in street clothes.

Humiliating.

I have no idea why it took the 49ers this long to decide to trade Pettis. It was clear they were done with him when they made him inactive for the Super Bowl. That was the ultimate vote of no confidence. The ultimate humiliation.

The 49ers should have traded Pettis immediately after training camp. Because he had a couple good days and lots of glowing reports from generous local reporters. Pettis’ value only went down when the real season started and everyone got to see him play.

Now, by burying him all season, the 49ers have destroyed any trade value Pettis might have had. Remember, he was a second-round pick -- the 49ers traded up for him, for crying out loud. They were afraid some other team would take him because lots of other teams liked Pettis in Round 2, apparently.

Now, the 49ers will be lucky to get a seventh-round pick for him. And they might just have to cut him.

Humiliating.

But that doesn’t mean Pettis’ career is over. If he lands on a team like the Seattle Seahawks or Pittsburgh Steelers that has a quarterback who excels at throwing the ball more than 15 yards downfield, Pettis could thrive -- he’s a downfield threat. He doesn’t fit the 49ers dink-and-dunk passing game anymore.

Too bad the 49ers won’t get much for him.

Kyle Shanahan will speak to the media today and address this report about Pettis. Stay tuned.

UPDATE:

I asked Shanahan to verify the report about Pettis. Here's what Shanahan said: "It's two weeks before the trade deadline. I know John (Lynch) has taken a number of calls on it. He has made some. That's stuff that we do right now. We'll see if it can help us. If it does, we won't hesitate to do it. But nothing is imminent. Dante is part of our team and there's a good chance he can still stay a part of our team. If he does, when his number is needed and he gets his opportunity, I plan on him being ready."