NFL Notes: Trades, 49ers, Giants

Trades

• According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, the Chargers had been attempting to trade WR Dontrelle Inman during the preseason, but finally found a take in the Bears, who had suffered a number of injuries at the receiver position.
• The Bills’ decision to send DT Marcell Dareus to the Jaguars was a salary dump for Buffalo, according to Pelissero. Dareus had reportedly worn out his welcome with a lot of people in Buffalo, but there was some familiarity in Jacksonville with his former HC Doug Marrone.
• Pelissero writes that the Dolphins’ decision to trade RB Jay Ajayi was due in part to the need for them to shake up the offense after HC Adam Gase called it the “worst” in football. Beyond that, Gase had a rocky relationship with Ajayi.
• According to Pelissero, the Panthers really wanted to get more speed on the field and hopefully open things up for their offense, which is why they agreed to send WR Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills for third- and seventh-round picks. The Panthers reportedly only spoke to the Bills about a Benjamin trade.

49ers

An NFL GM tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com that he gives the 49ers credit for going back and attempting to get a trade completed for QB Jimmy Garoppolo ahead of the deadline.

“I give credit to San Francisco,” said the GM who has done business with Patriots HC Bill Belichick, “because in the offseason, four or five teams called (the Patriots) and they said, ‘Absolutely not. No way.’ ”

49ers GM John Lynch confirmed that they approached the Patriots about Garoppolo earlier in the offseason but was “quickly shut down.”

Pelissero writes that the Patriots were able to keep their insurance policy in place long enough to evaluate Brady’s performance this year and ensure they were fine moving him at the deadline. This was also the last opportunity for New England to recoup decent value for Garoppolo, considering that the best they could have gotten for him would have been a pick after round 3 in 2019 had he departed in free agency.

Instead, the Patriots got a high second-round pick.

“They kept the insurance policy,” an NFL executive who has done business with Belichick explained to Pelissero. “The risk was greater back in April. It’s less now. And it’s also the deadline. This was their last chance to get the best that they can. … Now, they’re halfway through the season. They know they’re going to lose the player. If they lose the player, even if it’s one of the most outrageous contracts in history, the best they can get is a compensatory third.”

Giants

• James Kratch of NJ.com writes that the limited pool of 2018 free agent offensive linemen is bad news for the Giants for a few years. Obviously, there aren’t as many upgrades available, but the prices for G Justin Pugh and C Weston Richburg are likely to go up, given the number of teams that figure to be in the market for offensive line help.
• Kratch says there’s a “strong chance” the Giants re-sign C Brett Jones, who will be a restricted free agent next year. Kratch admits that it’s possible New York could move on from Richburg with Jones taking over for him at center, but there’s a chance Richburg’s concussion could reduce his price tag to some degree.
• According to Kratch, it would likely take an “extraordinary circumstance” for the Giants to move on from HC Ben McAdoo after two seasons. Even so, Kratch admits it could be a possibility, considering the locker room issues and they could finish with the worst record in franchise history.