The 49ers have already pulled off one blockbuster trade this offseason, and they might not be done. When asked about the team’s potential interest in Falcons wideout Julio Jones , head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that San Francisco's acquisition of the No. 3 pick (and subsequent selection of Trey Lance) may have paved the way for another major deal.
“Well, you know I’m not legally allowed to talk about players on other teams,” Shanhan said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “So I can’t answer that exactly the way you want me to.
“Anyone I’ve coached in the past that I have a relationship with, especially a great dude like Julio, obviously I have a ton of respect for. We’re always interested in improving our team. We’ll never just say, ‘Hey, we’re done. We can’t improve our team.’ You always try to make that happen. But, yeah, it makes it harder when you’ve already given up some stuff to make some moves and things like that.”
As Shanahan noted, the coach served as the Falcons offensive coordinator between 2015 and 2016, a pair of seasons that saw Jones compile 3,280 total yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns. Five years later, Jones finds himself on the trade block while Shanahan finds himself loading up for an eventual run at the championship.
We learned Monday that Jones had already requested a trade, and this followed reports that the Falcons would consider dealing the future Hall of Famer as they looked to clear some money off the books. Plenty of teams would naturally have interest in the wideout, but only a handful of clubs have definitively trickled out over the past few days, including the Patriots and Titans.
While the 49ers won’t be able to satisfy the Falcons’ desire for a first-round pick, they have the cap space to make a deal happen. Plus, Jones would add some legitimacy to an offense that (outside of tight end George Kittle) is predicated on youth and upside. While former first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk and former second-round pick Deebo Samuel have the draft pedigree, the young duo combined for only 1,242 all-purpose yards last season (albeit in only 19 combined games).
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