NFL insider believes the 49ers may surprise their own fans and make deadline deal to help out Christian McCaffrey
Kyle Shanahan may look for a new weapon for his offense.
The trade deadline always stirs the pot around the NFL. For the San Francisco 49ers, injuries have shaken up their roster on a weekly basis, and many people believe they’ll look to improve their secondary or defensive line with a deal or two before the deadline.
Could they also make a play for a talented piece on offense as well, though? Jauan Jennings is banged up and could miss time. Brandon Aiyuk isn’t in the mix at WR due to injury, and it’s unknown when he will come back. Ricky Pearsall has missed time due to ailments as well.
49ers may look for offensive upgrade at offensive skill position
With their constant cycle of injuries along their offense, it is definitely possible that San francisco swings a deal to improve their pass catching room. Christian McCaffrey’s current workload may be a bit unsustainable with how many touches he’s getting weekly and how many hits he’s already taken this season.
Accordingly, NFL insider Dan Graziano can picture them acquiring an upgrade on offense before the trade deadline hits. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 3 PM CT.
“Graziano: It also doesn’t have to be defense for the 49ers. They’ve been extremely banged up in their wide receiver corps this season. They still don’t know for sure when Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is coming back. They already signed Kendrick Bourne, who has been a star the past two weeks with Ricky Pearsall (knee) out and Jauan Jennings (ribs) playing hurt, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the help the 49ers bring in from the outside comes on the offensive side of the ball.”
“San Francisco is still in a win-now window, with veterans such as Trent Williams and George Kittle in or nearing the back ends of their careers. And being 4-2 gives the Niners reason to think that, if they get healthy, they can still make a run this season. Just so many holes to fill, you wonder which direction they’ll go.” — Dan Graziano, ESPN
This would surprise plenty of fans, surely. The 49ers haven’t been overly aggressive when it comes to trading for an impact wide receiver or tight end in recent seasons, and some of that is due to roster construction. George Kittle has been in the building for quite some time, but he’s been nursing an injury for a month and may return to game action for the first time since Week 1.
Adding depth at tight end or wide receiver would help make life easier for multiple pieces of the current offense as well. Kendrick Bourne has impressed with Mac Jones at quarterback, but he cannot be the top option at WR in your offense as a playoff team. Additionally, Brock Purdy seems to be close to a return, so giving him a shiny new toy in the receiving game would take a bit of pressure off him as well.
All in all, intrigued to see the 49ers activity over the next few weeks. They have draft capital to be aggressive, but will the staff and front office take those risks with how many injuries are plaguing both sides of the football for Kyle Shanahan’s team currently? We shall see.
San Francisco 49ers News
San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk’s latest Instagram antics raise questions as the NFL’s trade season approaches
He may be done with San Fran at this point, and they can choose to be done with him.
