At 1-6 on the season and in the midst of a six-game losing streak, the San Francisco 49ers are embarrassing themselves on the field.
With no real hope for that to change anytime soon, the team may already be looking to turn the page from what will likely end up being a lost season.
It’s in this that every veteran with any sort of value should be on the chopping block. Those remaining from the long gone Jim Harbaugh era won’t be helping this team back into contention. Move on. Move forward. That should be the motto in Santa Clara.
So it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the embattled brass atop the organization’s hierarchy is potentially looking to trade Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley.
“In addition to Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, 49ers left tackle Joe Staley also could be had in trade,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported late Sunday night.
The reported asking price here is a first-round pick. And in reality, Staley himself might be worth that.
Staley, 32, has earned five consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. He’s started the past 87 games for the 49ers. The tackle is under contract through the 2019 campaign and is only due $8.3 million next season. Not too shabby for one of the most consistently dominant pass-protecting left tackles in the NFL.
With the trade deadline set for November 1st, we promise to hear a lot of rumors about potential 49ers players on the move. Those rumors should really start and end with Staley, who has played his entire 10-year career in the red and gold.
Teams potentially set to pick at the end of the first round include the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, both of whom could use an upgrade at left tackle.