© Ed Mulholland | 2017 Aug 11
We’re less than a week removed from the regular season, and rumors are already swirling regarding the 49ers trading for a top-tier wide receiver.
Antonio Brown has been dropping hints that he wouldn’t mind a trade to San Francisco, after sitting out the Steelers’ season finale following a disagreement with Ben Roethlisberger. Meanwhile, Odell Beckham Jr. has been linked to the 49ers via Mike Florio, who said the team would be interested in trading for the 26-year old if he’s put on the trade block.
49ers Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young joined KNBR on Wednesday afternoon, and was asked which player he found “more enticing” as a potential trade target.
“I’d want to spend more time with Antonio Brown,” Young began. “I just don’t know him, and it’s odd to me that this odd stuff has happened in Pittsburgh. He’s part of kind of an independent spirit I’ve noticed from afar in their locker room…They’re an incredibly talented team that should never miss the playoffs, should threaten for a Super Bowl right now and didn’t. And so he has to own that a little bit, and because of that it makes me feel funny.
“OBJ just getting to know him a little bit, I sense that he’s the kind of guy that with good structure, where the ball is coming out, and has some help where he doesn’t have to carry all the water, I feel like he’s less of a risk right now in my mind. I just don’t know if Antonio Brown…I don’t know if it’s around him, if it’s not him or he’s a part of it, but what’s happened in Pittsburgh is a little corrosive and it feels funny.”
Brown, 30, has reportedly twice requested a trade over the past year. He has three years left on a deal with an average payout of $17 million per. Beckham is owed $18 million per year through 2023.
Beckham gained 1,052 receiving yards and caught six touchdowns while appearing in 12 games for the Giants this year. Beckham has made the Pro Bowl in three of his first five seasons since being selected by New York with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 draft. Brown finished with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns during the 2018 season.
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Young on the wide receivers, start from 6:05