How 49ers should handle NFL trade deadline, per Steve Young – NBC Sports Bay Area & California
An undefeated start through five weeks has the 49ers Faithful believing that 2026 finally could be the championship season they have been waiting for.
With the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline approaching, Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young believes the 49ers should go “all in,” he said in an interview on KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” (h/t 49ers Webzone).
“I think 5-0, it gives you a lot of money in the bank, and I love that,” Young said.
The great start to the 2026 NFL season has given San Francisco a solid foundation to build on. They have earned the right to make a gamble in the trade market to improve the team.
“You get old fast in the NFL,” Young continued. “And so, when you have great players, you got to take advantage… we talk about the window. And it’s like you got these guys that are all healthy, all performing; four guys on offense that are going to the Hall of Fame.
“You’ve got to go all in.”
The 49ers began the season with the oldest roster in the NFL with an average age of 27.49 years old. As Young mentions, the window for this 49ers roster might not be open for much longer.
“I don’t really want to think about 2027, ’28, ’29,” Young said. “I don’t want to think about what that looks like. You can smell that 2026 can be that year, but let’s go all in.”
The two position groups that the 49ers could use help with are wide receiver and defensive line, specifically pass rushers. Both areas have been decimated by injuries.
Even with star defensive end Nick Bosa nearing his return from a calf injury, Young notes that the depth needs to improve.
“If our pass rush is middling, it’ll cost us, right? It’ll be a problem,” Young said. “And then if we don’t have the depth because, you know, we can’t keep everybody healthy the whole time. We better have some depth.”
Young argues it’s especially important to get stronger with tough divisional foes. Despite the 49ers already having three wins more than the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, they need to keep improving to stay ahead of their NFC West rivals.
“The Rams are in a really tight spot, but you can see how good they are and they’re going to get healthier,” Young explained. “Myles [Garrett] is going to come back and play, and they’re really good. You saw them on Monday night. They got beat, but you can see how good they are. You can see how good Seattle is.
“And so, in that way, they’re not going away. So, we should lean in.”
The 49ers lead the NFC West with a 5-0 record, while the Seahawks are 3-2 and the Rams are a surprising 2-3.
The front office did not make any blockbuster moves last season, but they did acquire defensive end Keion White at the deadline to bolster the line. White has been solid so far through five games and already has recorded three sacks this season.
The 49ers have three more games and a bye week before the Nov. 10 deadline, leaving plenty of time for new necessities to arise and negotiations to advance.
