If anyone can recognize great receiving talent, it's Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, and Rice said on 95.7 The Game that he wants his former San Francisco 49ers team to pursue trades for wide outs Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown.
“I think Antonio Brown is an exceptional receiver,” Rice said. “And we saw what Khalil Mack, what he did for the Chicago Bears. You got George Kittle already, if you bring in a player like, say, Antonio Brown or an OBJ — Odell Beckham — it can take that offense to a whole different level.”
Not sure what Khalil Mack has to do with anything, considering he is a defensive player, but I guess Rice is just saying that certain players can change the entire complexion of a franchise.
The bad news for Rice is that both Beckham and Brown are under contract, meaning that it would take the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers to agree to a trade with the 49ers to actually move their respective receivers.
The Giants recently said that they will not be moving Beckham, whom they just signed to a contract extension before the season, and as for the Steelers? Well, they are in win-now mode, so it seems hard to imagine that they would move Brown unless he absolutely insists on being dealt.
Of course, Brown is currently disgruntled, but there is plenty of time between now and the beginning of 2019 for Pittsburgh to patch things up with the seven-time Pro Bowler.
San Francisco could certainly use a receiver of that caliber to go along with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, though. Imagine a duo of either Beckham and Brown with tight end George Kittle?
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