'Tis the season for NFL rumors, apparently. And no, this story is not from last offseason.
Hot off the heels of a Twitter exchange between San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, followed by a report that Brown has asked to be traded, comes another rumor.
This time from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Florio reports that should the New York Giants decide to move on from wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the 49ers might be among the teams interested.
"The 49ers considered it during that window last year when Beckham seemed to be available," wrote Florio, "and there's already buzz this year that, if he's available, the 49ers would be interested."
While Brown's contract makes him more difficult for the Steelers to trade due to the $21.12 million of dead money that Pittsburgh would have to absorb if it parted ways with him, Florio reports that Beckham's contract makes him more tradable.
Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was made the No. 12 overall draft pick by the Giants in 2014. He has finished four of his five NFL seasons with 1,000-or-more receiving yards and has 44 touchdowns over his career. Beckham registered 77 receptions for 1,052 yards with six touchdowns through 12 games in 2018.
A fractured left ankle forced Beckham to miss most of the 2017 season — the only year he registered fewer than 1,000 receiving yards. He was inactive for the Giants' final four games of 2018 due to a quad injury.