49ers Notebook: Bowman advises Watson to leave Texans; King says star player may be required in trade

Here are other San Francisco 49ers-related storylines that might interest you — the Deshaun Watson edition.

NaVorro Bowman offers Deshaun Watson some friendly advice

Former 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman took to Twitter to pass on some advice to Watson. He tells the Houston Texans quarterback to "get outta there now."


The Texans' star quarterback is frustrated, and the relationship between team and player may be beyond repair. Many anticipate Watson eventually asking for a trade if the two sides cannot reconcile. Oddsmakers list the 49ers with the fifth-best odds to have Watson on the team's roster for the start of the 2021 season.

H/t to Katie Woo of NBC Sports

David Carr ranks 49ers as top landing spot for Watson

NFL Media analyst David Carr recently ranked his top four fits and landing spots for the disgruntled Texans quarterback. At the top of the list were the 49ers, followed by the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and New York Jets.

Wrote Carr:

"Watson in the Bay Area would be a home run. Kyle Shanahan has developed his scheme since going to San Francisco with more bootlegs, zone runs, QB-designed runs and RPOs, and knowing this, I can't think of a better fit. A dual-threat signal-caller with Watson's ability is what this improved offense has been missing. They have a group of good, young receivers (Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne), a premier tight end (George Kittle) and an unbelievable run game that would be that much better with Watson. What makes this pairing feasible is the fact that Jimmy Garoppolo's contract is easy to move on from, as the 49ers would only take a $2.8 million dead-money hit if they released him, saving $24 million against the cap. I would pencil Watson's 49ers into the NFC Championship Game every year."

Peter King feels 49ers would need to include star player in trade for Watson

Peter King of NBC Sports joined 95.7 The Game on Tuesday and was asked what kind of compensation it might take to pry Watson away from the Texans. If the 49ers were interested, they would have to compete with other teams with more to offer in terms of draft capital.

"The only way the 49ers can do this, in my opinion, is to convince them to be in love with Garoppolo," King said, "and I don't know if they can do it, and then to trade three or four [first-round picks] to even be competitive in this thing. And I just don't know that Kyle Shanahan or John Lynch would say that's very smart."

Damon Bruce asked King if San Francisco might need to include a star player like Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, or George Kittle to sweeten the offer.

"That's where I would go if I were the 49ers, as much as it would pain you to do so," responded King. "If they wanted him, they would probably have to include one or more of those players."

Trent Baalke may land another GM job

Trent Baalke may have single-handedly been responsible for creating one of the NFL's most talent-deprived rosters by the end of his run as general manager with the 49ers. He was ousted following the 2016 season and replaced with John Lynch.

Somehow, it looks like Baalke is on the cusp of landing another general manager job. He has been serving as the Jacksonville Jaguars' interim GM, and NFL Media's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report that the team is expected to make it permanent.

Related News

• Report: Jaguars hiring Trent Baalke as G.M. Pro Football Talk • Jan 19, 2021
• Jaguars to hire former 49ers GM Trent Baalke Niners Wire • Jan 20, 2021