The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the best teams in the NFL consistently over the last half-decade. They've reached the NFC conference championship four times in the last five seasons and won two of those title bouts. But they lost in both of their Super Bowl appearances. The Niners will be giving it another go this year as they run back their loaded core. But for as stacked as they are, they could stand to make more moves. Targeting Treylon Burks and Damarri Mathis in a trade could help round out the 49ers' 2024 roster.
49ers trade for Treylon Burks
San Francisco's wide receiver room has been a topic of conversation all offseason long. Both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have been the subject of trade talks in 2024. The biggest reason why is because of Aiyuk's impending contract situation. He is about to embark on the final year of his rookie contract and is currently missing OTAs to help his chances of getting a hefty extension.
The issue for the 49ers is that they already gave Samuel a big contract last year. He got a three-year $71 million deal that kicked in last year and included $58 million in guaranteed money. That's great for him, but it puts San Francisco in a bind. The 49ers can't have two lucrative wide receiver contracts on their books with the money they've spent elsewhere on the roster. Brock Purdy's extension is coming soon too.
San Francisco can get out of Samuel's contract in 2025 and save about $9 million in the process. That could help with Aiyuk's extension, but the 49ers would also be down one of their most dynamic weapons and a pillar of their offense. They have begun to get around this predicament after drafting Florida's Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but they could use more help.
Tennessee's Treylon Burks could be that. Injuries and a regime change have stifled his development with the Titans, which could make him available for trade. When he was coming out of the University of Arkansas, Deebo was a popular comp for him.
Odds are that the 49ers re-sign Aiyuk and look to move on from Samuel at some point. It was smart for them to draft Pearsall but they could stand to add another talented receiver to the mix. Burks can be that guy.
49ers target Damarri Mathis in trade
Opposing teams didn't have much issue moving the ball against San Francisco in the playoffs despite how stout their defense is. They especially got attacked through the air. Jordan Love completed nearly 62% of his passes and tossed two touchdowns. Jared Goff racked up 273 yards on 41 attempts and with a 61% completion percentage. And then Patrick Mahomes threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, with the second being the game-winner to Mecole Hardman.
San Francisco's secondary wasn't great in the playoffs and didn't do much to address it. The 49ers did sign Rock Ya-Sin and Isaac Yiadom in the offseason. But, Ya-Sin has bounced around the league Yiadom is primarily a special teamer. San Francisco also used a second-round pick on Florida State's Renardo Green, but some deemed that to be a big reach.
It wouldn't hurt to add more to that unit, and the 49ers could do so by trading for Denver's Damarri Mathis. Mathis had a solid season as a rookie but struggled last year. It's hard to tell who the real Mathis is, but the tape he displayed in his first season should make someone want to buy low on him.
Those teams may get that chance. Sean Payton wasn't in Denver when the Broncos drafted Mathis and could sour on him after last season. They also signed Levi Wallace in the offseason, which will likely drop Mathis down the depth chart. It wouldn't be a big surprise if the Broncos made him available.
If they do, the 49ers should see what the price is on a trade. Adding depth at a premier position like cornerback can never hurt a team trying to compete for a Super Bowl.
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