On Friday, the 49ers made a trade that no one saw coming. They acquired cornerback Eric Wright from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In exchange, the Buccaneers will receive a conditional pick in the 2014 draft.
Why did the Buccaneers trade Wright, a player that they acquired just 16 months ago on a large contract? It was revealed that Wright was arrested in California on July 12. This was just the latest issue surrounding the cornerback who was originally drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. In July of 2012, he was charged with a felony DUI. During the 2012 season, he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's performance enhancing drugs policy. His five-year, $35.3 million contract was restructured to a deal that would pay him $1.5 million with another $1.5 million available in incentives in 2013. The remaining years of his contract were removed. After this latest incident, the Buccaneers were prepared to release Wright if they had been unable to trade him.
Financially, this move is little risk for the 49ers, who will take over his $1.5 million salary for the 2013 season. However, it is ironic that after Harbaugh's comments about the Seattle Seahawks' recent issues with drug related suspensions, most notably related to Adderall, that the team would acquire a player that had the exact same issue.
Wright had a strong season in 2011 with the Detroit Lions, starting all 16 games and collecting four interceptions.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions from Buccaneers teammates following the trade.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions from the media that covers the Buccaneers.
Here is an interesting tweet by Jenna Laine, a reporter for The Sports Xchange.
Rookies reported to 49ers training camp today with veterans reporting next week. The team is scheduled to start practices on Thursday, July 25.
What do you think of the 49ers' trade for Wright? What do you think this means for the cornerbacks currently on the roster? Let us know by commenting below.
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