The Jets can scratch the 49ers off the list of teams who may be looking to grab a quarterback ahead of them in the first round of the draft after San Francisco dealt a second-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Previously believed to be the top suitor for Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency, the 49ers either got word of Cousins staying put, or were scared off by his potential asking price, and pulled the trigger on a deal with the Pats.
This means that should the 49ers finish with a worse record than Gang Green (no longer a lock if Garoppolo is as good as advertised), they’ll no longer be in the hunt for a QB through the draft, and may be willing to listen to offers for their pick.
If the Jets don’t use the 49ers to move up, could they make a run at Cousins themselves? GM Mike Maccagnan reportedly tried to work out a deal for Cousins a couple of years ago when Geno Smith was knocked out by teammate IK Enemkplai during training camp, but no deal was struck. If Maccagnan gets another shot in free agency, will he make an aggressive play?
With no viable option to replace Cousins, it’s difficult to imagine the Redskins allowing him to walk via free agency, but somehow they’ve managed to allow it to get this far, which never should have happened in the first place.
No matter how you slice it though, today was a good day for the Jets as one less QB hungry team will be in the top 10 and the possibility of landing Cousins, should he hit free agency, increased significantly. His former offensive coordinator, 49ers head coach Kyle Shannahan, was said to put the 49ers in the lead for his services, and today, they bowed out.
