Saying Good-Bye to a Legend- The Niners should trade Patrick Willis

Could you Imagine a team with no Willis, no Frank, no Justin, no Harbaugh?


Tomsula as the head coach?

Cully and Crabs as our locker room "guys"?

Arghhhh, this is not Moneyball, this is FOOTBALL, you just can't get rid of that much leadership and expect others to automatically fill in the empty space, doesn't work like that.

What? A second round pick so we can get another Vance McDonald?

Sorry MD, if this were to happen, it would not be a good thing. We need leaders and next year Willis might be the last one here.

If Bowman and Borland are both healthy next season, sure I could understand the move. But I don't feel like we can do anything until we know if Bowman is the same player.

Your HOF should be revoked.

Originally posted by Since07:
Your HOF should be revoked.

lol

No.

Pat is more than justa great LB. He's the heart and soul.

Its bad enough that Frank is probably out and Cowboy may be gone as well....

...trading Willis would create a HUGE leadership void in the locker room.

I also don't think he's declined as much as you are letting on. A lot of the decline you are referring to has to do with the role he's playing in the defense. He also said his toe has been an issue with him for a few years, so he might be better next year than he's been in a few years.

No way in hell should they trade Pat. No way.

FU*K YOU, and I mean that in the most respectful way possible.

Originally posted by buck:

Originally posted by 49Fever:
Good thread man ! Well explained ! Not like most fans who can only write bullshlt or post a smiley.

You guys laugh at me for thinking of letting Boldin and his 6.9 salary go, but yet, some of you guys are entertaining the idea of letting Patrick Willis go??

dammnnnnn..... This is the say Lynch vs Brooks story all over again..

What has Lynch and Borland done that deserve the idea of letting Brooks and Willis or Bowman go?? Just because they had a fine rookie year???

Getting rid of the leader. That should work out well.

Originally posted by 9moon:
You guys laugh at me for thinking of letting Boldin and his 6.9 salary go, but yet, some of you guys are entertaining the idea of letting Patrick Willis go??

dammnnnnn..... This is the say Lynch vs Brooks story all over again..

What has Lynch and Borland done that deserve the idea of letting Brooks and Willis or Bowman go?? Just because they had a fine rookie year???

Kind of the same boat...two oars, no waiting.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Watching former 49ers greats, like Joe Montana, wearing a Chiefs' jersey, or Jerry Rice wearing a Raiders' jersey, is like being part of some strange alternate universe. It just didn't seem real, or right, or __________ (your choice of words). And, yet, the Niners are on the verge of turning the page on a roster full of terrific players that deserve a spot, or at least an argument for a spot, on our best-ever roster. The one I want to focus on in this thread is Patrick Willis,

Willis will turn 30 this next month, and let's be honest, his best football is behind him. In the first five years of his career, there was no one better (better than Ray, better than Urlacher/Briggs, better than anyone). He should make the Hall of Fame someday as the dominant defender of the middle, a three-down stud. But, as we know, Father Time has a way of slowing down the best and brightest, and Willis doesn't have the same impact as he once did in his earlier days, He is not as dominant, not the best in the league anymore. He has come back to simply being very good, which is better than most rosters have across the NFL.

The problem the Niners have with Willis is that: 1) Chris Borland is also very good; 2) Navarro Bowman is also very good; 3) Willis makes about twice as much money as Bowman (who is four years younger), and a LOT more than Borland. Unless the Niners can find a new defensive scheme with 3 interior linebackers, this team has a problem: Which dude do you bench? Even though Willis has been so good to us, it doesn't make much salary cap sense to commit nearly $9 million this year to Willis, when you have a player at the same level, maybe slightly higher or lower depending on your perspective, in Borland, making a fraction of that amount.

As much as it would kill me to see Willis play for another team, the reality of the current salary cap era, the large cap number the team possesses going into 2015, and the list of free agents to either re-sign, or sign from other clubs, and the stellar play of Bowman (in 2012 and 2013) and Borland, simply makes Willis a Niners' legend that is...I hate to say the word...expendable. He, along with Frank Gore, have been the heart and soul of this team for so long, but this will be a new Niners' team in 2015, and the team has too many other needs entering the season to carry a huge cap number in a position of strength.

Trust me: there will be suitors in trades. Watching the Texans this year, they have a gigantic hole at ILB. There are numerous other teams who have the cap space (he would surely have to re-negotiate the contract down) and would love to have Willis on their roster.

All of this argument is based on the idea that Bowman and Borland will come back healthy entering 2015.

Good post. I fully agree with this and even got bashed for suggesting it when Borland took over.

Originally posted by RMuTT1981:

Could you Imagine a team with no Willis, no Frank, no Justin, no Harbaugh?

Oh my god..

Cant do it MD. Its like breaking up with a girl you love lol

I have too much feels for Willis.

Originally posted by verb1der:

Good post. I fully agree with this and even got bashed for suggesting it when Borland took over.

Yes, I remember the huge overreaction when he first started.

Borland is too slow to be relied upon as a full time starter. Once the opposition runs a sweep, counter, screen or slant, he's running for his life and still manages to give up 30+ yds. Will never be as talented as Willis or Bowman. Borland is a great backup for us and definitely a starter somewhere else but while we got Will-Bo he's gonna have to wait his turn. He's a great tackler, but he can't get sideline to sideline.