Overview
- Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox published five hypothetical three-team trades on Wednesday that included two scenarios placing the 49ers in deals to acquire DK Metcalf or Kayvon Thibodeaux.
- In the Metcalf proposal the Jets would receive quarterback Mac Jones, the 49ers would get WR DK Metcalf, and the Pittsburgh Steelers would receive Brandon Aiyuk plus a 2027 third-round pick.
- In the Thibodeaux proposal the 49ers would acquire Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux in a multi-asset swap that would send Marlon Humphrey to New York and involve draft-pick exchanges with the Ravens.
- Analysts stress Mac Jones’s cheap one-year, roughly $1.4 million salary makes him a plausible trade chip if rookie Kurtis Rourke impresses, but commentators question the realism of swapping a proven star like Metcalf for unproven pieces.
- All coverage treats these ideas as speculative scenario-building rather than confirmed talks, and outlets that republished Knox’s pieces described the specific three-team swaps as entertaining but unlikely to materialize.