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With the current state of the Atlanta Falcons, the struggles of the San Francisco 49ers, and the criticisms of Jimmy Garoppolo, the chatter linking head coach Kyle Shanahan to his former quarterback, Matt Ryan, was inevitable.
One FS1 analyst, Nick Wright of
First Things First, feels a reunion between Shanahan and Ryan makes obvious sense.
"I would be gobsmacked ... if he's traded before the deadline," Wright said. "But whether it's before the deadline or in the offseason, there's one obvious place for Matt Ryan, and it's San Francisco. We know they don't like their quarterback, [Ryan] won an MVP with Kyle Shanahan, he knows the system, and San Francisco can get off Jimmy G's contract at the end of this year, easily.
"If you're the rest of the NFC, and San Francisco has a bit of a setback year, all of the injuries, Super Bowl hangover, Jimmy G doesn't get better, and all of a sudden, it's that system with [
Nick Bosa] back from injury, Solomon Thomas back, and Matt Ryan with those guys, to me, San Francisco goes right back to where they were last year as the favorites in the NFC."
While Garoppolo has struggled this season, he has also dealt with a high-ankle sprain that forced him to miss two games and underperform during his Week 5 return. The quarterback played much better during San Francisco's 24-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.
Garoppolo's ankle is feeling better this week, and the quarterback didn't appear on the team's injury report on Wednesday.
"It's definitely made some big jumps since last week,"
Garoppolo said Wednesday morning during a KNBR interview, "and it will just keep getting better."
Ryan, on the other hand, had an MVP season and the best year of his career in 2016 under Shanahan, completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 1,843 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions through six games this season.
Even if Shanahan and the 49ers were interested, one obstacle for the Falcons might be the cap hit they would absorb by trading Ryan, who has three years remaining in his $150 million contract after this season.
"Action doesn't always happen,"
Shanahan said this week when asked about the possibility of a mid-season trade for some roster help, as they did last season to acquire Emmanuel Sanders and in 2017 to get Garoppolo. "We're not in the mood to just giving up a bunch of our draft picks either. We had to do that last year to make a number of key moves that I think helped us, but we also don't want another draft to where we don't have too many picks."
ESPN insider Adam Schefter recently shared his insights on the situation surrounding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during an appearance on the network's "NFL Live" show. Schefter clarified that while Aiyuk would like to remain with the 49ers, his priority is securing a contract that reflects his value, regardless of the team.
When questioned about Aiyuk's desire to stay with the team that selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Schefter responded, "Well, I think his desire to get paid is greater than his desire to stay in San Francisco, wherever that is. If the 49ers want to pay him, I'm sure he'd love to stay in San Francisco. If another team would like to pay him, I'm sure he'd like to go
The San Francisco 49ers mainly focused on fortifying their defense in free agency, leaving many to believe that the 2024 NFL Draft will be their chance to upgrade the offensive line.
Most mock drafts predict the 49ers will select the best offensive tackle available to bolster the line's weak link—the right side—and potentially provide a succession plan for 35-year-old left tackle Trent Williams.
Pro Football Focus recently examined each team's biggest need heading into the draft's first round and unsurprisingly listed offensive line for the 49ers.
"The 49ers likely won't have the luxury of selecting the top offensive lineman with the 31st pick, but they can still find a quality player to improve a unit that was inconsistent in pass
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
