Which 49ers Players are Deemed "Untouchable"?
Deshaun Watson potentially being on the trade block has thrown the 49ers fanbase into a frenzy.
The hypothetical trade scenarios are endless right now as fans try to create ways where they can make fantasy into reality.
Watson is not coming to the 49ers. And even if it was plausible, there is going to need to be an extreme haul of draft picks and a starting caliber player. The part that gets interesting is tossing out which starting caliber player should be packaged into a deal.
However, no one is willing to put one of the 49ers' elite players into a hypothetical trade deal for Watson. Since that is the case, which 49ers players are deemed "untouchable" in any trade?
The answer is no one.
Not a single player on the 49ers is untouchable. Every and any player can be moved at a moments notice. There is always a price for everything, especially for the 49ers. Once they traded away All Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, the whole "untouchable" aspect was erased from the team.
Buckner being traded was an absolute shock. It came out of nowhere. He was a superb-homegrown talent and was a stalwart leader to the defense. Last season, I could not talk to a defensive player in the locker room without at least one player mentioning Buckner's leadership. If the 49ers can trade away a guy like that, they can trade away anyone.
The most recent and controversial name right now out there involving a trade for Watson is Nick Bosa. This stem's from Wednesday morning when Ross Tucker appeared on 95.7 The Game and mentioned Bosa being a player that is "touchable" in a trade for Watson.
Of course, fans did not like to hear that. Bosa is a favorite after all and an elite player. However, if Watson is really what the 49ers want, then sending Bosa packing is a necessary sacrifice. Yes, the pass rush will decline, but the 49ers showed this season they can manage a top 10 defense without Bosa and a slew of adequate pass rushers.
Acquiring an elite quarterback supersedes an elite pass rusher.
And yes, if sending Bosa to the Texans for Watson was all it would take, then I would do it in a heartbeat. Watson's contract would no longer became an issue in the future as the 49ers would not have to pay Bosa and can cut Jimmy Garoppolo immediately to cushion for Watson's contract.
While I see no way of a trade for Watson ever becoming reality, these hypothetical trades are a reminder that no player is prohibited. Check your biases and emotions at the door because at the end of the day these players are assets.
