It's incredible what you will find while flipping through your Facebook feed sometimes (h/t to Ryan Flynn and the Niner Empire Great Britain group). It seems that each year, there is at least some sort of speculation surrounding a potential trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers. It happened this year, the 49ers were actually very interested last year, and it happened in 2018.
I remember watching this segment back then and thinking the proposed trade would involve the 49ers giving up a lot. Too much, in fact. But there was no doubt at that point that Beckham, then still with the New York Giants, could have been a game-changing weapon for head coach Kyle Shanahan to utilize.
Here's the old Good Morning Football segment that had Kay Adams playing the role of general manager John Lynch and trying to decide if the trade proposal was worth it.
OBJ to the @49ers?!
The breakfast table proposes CRAZY (but not impossible) trades for San Francisco 👀
📺: @gmfb pic.twitter.com/jPgLyKLE85
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 12, 2018
Here is what the trade proposal involved.
San Francisco 49ers receive:
- Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
New York Giants receive:
- 2018 No. 9 overall pick
- 2019 1st-round pick
- 2019 2nd-round pick
- Safety Jimmie Ward
That would have been quite a haul for the Giants for just one player, even without knowing what those picks would eventually turn into. Luckily, we know the answer to that now and can look back and realize just how absurd a move this would have been for San Francisco.
In addition to Ward, who stayed healthy and was a key contributor in 2019, here is who those three draft picks turned out to be.
- 2018 No. 9 overall pick: Tackle Mike McGlinchey
- 2019 1st-round pick: Defensive end Nick Bosa
- 2019 2nd-round pick: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel
So, looking back, would you have traded Ward, McGlinchey, Bosa, and Samuel for a chance at Beckham? Probably not.
Luckily, the Good Morning Football crew didn't bite on the theoretical trade either. It did, however, decide to jump on another hypothetical trade proposal, this time from the Buffalo Bills. It sent San Francisco's No. 9 overall pick to Buffalo in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick, No. 53 overall, and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.
In reality, the Bills ended up releasing Benjamin in December of that year. He briefly caught on with the Kansas City Chiefs but has not played in an NFL game since 2018.
