The San Francisco 49ers were noticeably not among teams who ruled themselves out of the race for Lamar Jackson after the quarterback was franchise tagged by the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday.
According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, they are considering all options as it pertains to their quarterback situation, including Lamar Jackson.
The 49ers aren’t exactly in a great position to make the signing as the QB would cost more than they can afford, while the Ravens would be able to match anything they put in front of the player. So it’s only going to work if they could agree to a trade.
Kawakami reports that the Niners need another quarterback, even with Trey Lance and Brock Purdy on their books.
“No matter what, the 49ers are going to need another QB. Shanahan didn’t want to say it a few days after the season ended, but Lynch generally acknowledged it at the NFL Scouting Combine last week,” he writes. “If they find out that Purdy will likely miss more than six months, the urgency amps up.”
He’s also noted that they’re “looking at everything” as the idea of adding Jackson to an offense already boasting Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk would “send jolts of panic through every defensive coordinator in the league.”
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Whether or not this is a definitive outline of the Lamar marketplace, I’ll note that the 49ers weren’t included on the list of QB-needy teams that were immediately reported to be out on Lamar (the Falcons, Panthers, Commanders, Dolphins and maybe the Raiders). I checked around myself on Wednesday and was told that the 49ers are looking at everything, as always.
Kawakami reckons that a few things need to line up in order for the 49ers to approach trade negotiations. Firstly, Purdy would need to miss significant time next season, possibly the entire campaign.
The Ravens would also need to be interested in Lance while also believing that their relationship with Jackson cannot be mended and they’d lose him in 2024 after keeping him on the one-year tag worth $32.4 million.
The last thing San Francisco would need is for Jackson to be willing to settle for less than he thinks he’s worth.
While it’s a proper long shot, Jackson would make the 49ers instant Super Bowl favorites should they sign him, and not just for next season.
