It could be a win-win, if the 49ers win.
Defensive end Chase Young, in a contract year, arrives in San Francisco for a third-round pick. The 49ers might have no intention to re-sign him after the season. They might be giving up the third-round to help bolster the pass rush for the stretch run.
If it goes well, the 49ers might finally get to the Super Bowl and win it again, for the first time since 1994. If it goes well, Young gets a major payday on the open market.
It’s not the first time the 49ers have done something like this. In 2019, the 49ers gave up a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick for receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth-round pick. Sanders finished the season with the 49ers. He then left as a free agent after he helped the 49ers get to the Super Bowl.
And they might have won it, thanks to him. He got open for what could have been a game-winning touchdown late in the game. But quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo missed him.
This year, Young could help make the difference. And he might make a big sack of two in the Super Bowl, so that the 49ers can get their hands on a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in nearly 30 years.