The San Francisco 49ers are 0-7. The trade deadline is next week. In seemingly every other American sport this combination would make the Niners heavy sellers heading into the weekend.
While NFL teams rarely make the cap-shedding trades we see elsewhere, that won't stop the rampant speculation from overflowing.
One of the few 49ers veteran pieces that teams could give a call about in the coming days is stalwart left tackle Joe Staley. The 33-year-old could be a commodity given the need for pass protection on playoff teams -- the Eagles losing Jason Peters this week becoming the most glaring need.
Speaking on Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan said it would "take a whole lot" for the team to part with Staley.
So you're saying there's a chance, Kyle?
"Joe is a guy that I definitely want here and definitely a guy I wouldn't want to lose by any means," Shanahan said, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. "I'm not going to sit here -- if anybody called for any one of our players, it's not like you just hang up the phone. If people want to offer the world, you've always got to listen. You've got to always try to think what's going to help your team and make your team better."
Staley is under contract through 2019 at a base-rate of just $4.8 million the next two seasons, which is a bargain rate if he continues his solid play.
With NFL team's hoarding draft picks like Scrooge McDuck stockpiles gold it's unlikely someone will ante up the cost it would take to pry Staley from the 49ers, but that shouldn't stop teams from calling to check.
