Wide receiver or edge rusher? Which do you think is more needed?
It’s pretty obvious the San Francisco 49ers will need to do something with their wide receiver group. Regardless of whether they can get Jauan Jennings back, Ricky Pearsall missed a lot of time in 2025. Let’s not forget Kendrick Bourne is a free agent. Who knows what Jordan Watkins has in the tank?
On the other hand, Mykel Williams got injured, and the 49ers (still) don’t have an answer opposite Nick Bosa. Or when Nick Bosa goes down,
for that matter. I don’t need to go into how bad the 49ers’ sack percentages were.
So, wide receiver or edge rusher? One name from both of those positions showed up in Tim Kawakami’s latest 49ers column at The San Francisco Standard.
Kawakami suggests the 49ers could go get Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, writing it’s “not out of the question.”
The only issue is that Jefferson’s price won’t be cheap. Kawakami thinks two first-rounders would be the going rate, and many other outlets have speculated a similar price in this what-if scenario. Then again, that’d be better spent on first-rounders than what happened in the Trey Lance debacle. Kawakami also mentioned Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby as another trade piece. Keep in mind, neither is on the trading block as of this writing.
What do these two players have in common? They are dealing with a lot of transitions in their respective organizations. Jefferson signed an extension in 2024 that runs through 2028, while Crosby is entering the final year of his deal. Crosby, in particular, had a weird ending to the season with Las Vegas, getting added to injured reserve.
Both serve a glaring need with the 49ers. All things equal, Kawakami thinks Jefferson would be the guy:
Crosby seems to be on his way out in Las Vegas and he’s long been one of the 49ers’ favorite players. But if the 49ers can only get one of the two superstars, I’d circle Jefferson, because the 49ers’ need for a game-breaking receiver is greater than for another elite edge, and because Jefferson is easily one of the best 10 players in the league and, at 26, should remain there for many years to come.
The logic makes sense. That’s also why Jefferson’s price could go up.
Between the two, Crosby seems more obtainable. Given the Vikings would incur a ton of dead money moving off Jefferson, I don’t think they’d be keen to give him up unless there’s more compensation in that regard. Then again, I made the argument that there was no way the New York Giants would let Odell Beckham Jr. be traded after a mega-deal, and the Cleveland Browns managed to pry him away.
Regardless, it would cost the Vikings more to not have Jefferson on the roster than to keep him. He can be disgruntled all he wants, but given that he’s 26, has a deal, and is, you know, Justin Jefferson, that’s going to take at least two first-rounders and change to make the Vikings consider it.
On the other hand, we have Maxx Crosby, who is in the final year of his deal. If Crosby is traded, the cap hit to the Raiders wouldn’t be nearly as crippling as Jefferson’s would be. The 49ers could get him, extend the deal that he has, and away they go—probably for less valuable (but still valuable) draft picks. He’d still have a painful cap hit to the Raiders, but not nearly as painful as Jefferson’s would be.
It’s still a big decision. The 49ers need both, but if both players are available (and we don’t even know if either is), a decision will need to be made. I’d take Crosby. That gives the defensive line a shot in the arm, and the 49ers can then move everything to offense in the draft/free agency.
But if they could swing Jefferson and it was him or Crosby, who would you take?
