The 49ers should have more than a passing interest in Sunday’s game between the Raiders and Jets.
Two players on that field could help them close the agonizing distance between nearly winning a Super Bowl and finally getting their hands on the trophy.
Garrett Wilson will wear green and white. Maxx Crosby will wear silver and black.
The 49ers should consider what either would look like in scarlet and gold.
With just over a week before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, they have earned the right to think big. A 6-1 start has put another championship opportunity within reach.
The 49ers owe it to themselves to grab it with both hands.
They have been too close, too often, to approach this moment any other way. They have stood on the doorstep, watched leads disappear and walked off the biggest stage knowing how little separated them from a celebration.
Those losses linger. So do the questions about the play, possession or player that might have changed everything.
Now they have another opening. Another legitimate path to the championship. Another chance to make sure this era is remembered for more than how close the 49ers came.
That should frame every conversation they have between now and the deadline.
Including calls to the Jets about Wilson and the Raiders about Crosby.
The competition certainly isn’t standing still. The Bears pushed their chips to the middle of the table by trading for Jeffery Simmons. The Seahawks made their move by acquiring Quenton Nelson. The Rams expect to get Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, their two big-ticket acquisitions, back on the field together. And anyone assuming the Rams won’t eventually be the Rams and put together a run is being naive.
Those are potential obstacles between the 49ers and the Super Bowl, and each has reason to believe its best football is ahead. It is incumbent on them to respond.
Khalil Mack would be a nice addition, but nice might not be enough. The 49ers should be thinking about a move that makes their competition worry about them.
Neither Wilson nor Crosby should be presumed available. Both teams have reasons to retain cornerstone talents, and any asking price would reflect that.
But the 49ers need to find out. And if it means surrendering multiple premium draft picks, they should give it serious consideration.
If there is a deal to be made, they need to remember that the pain of surrendering draft picks pales in comparison to the pain of falling short again.
Especially when they have an opportunity to do something about it.
Wilson would address a receiver room that injuries have made increasingly difficult to count on, forcing Brock Purdy to develop chemistry with a changing cast.
There is value in surviving those absences. There is considerably more in adding a receiver who can create separation and give Purdy a dependable answer when a season comes down to a handful of snaps.
Imagine Wilson in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, threatening defenses while creating room for everyone around him.
Then imagine a January game hanging on a third-and-8.
Those are the moments the 49ers should be thinking about.
Crosby could have a similar effect on the other side.
With Nick Bosa missing multiple games with injuries and Mykel Williams only recently back from a torn ACL, San Francisco’s defensive front looks more vulnerable than a championship contender would prefer.
Crosby would provide another disruptive presence capable of pressuring quarterbacks, pursuing ball carriers and demanding attention.
He could stabilize the front while Bosa works through his issues. Alongside a healthy Bosa, he could help create the kind of pass rush that decides postseason games.
One more hurried throw. One more drive-ending sack. One fewer opportunity for an opposing quarterback to break the 49ers’ heart.
They understand the value of those things better than most.
Yes, a trade would require difficult decisions about draft capital, money and future roster construction. There is a limit to any sensible negotiation.
But there should also be a limit to how much future flexibility a team protects at the expense of a championship it can pursue now.
At 6-1, the 49ers have made that pursuit real.
They cannot know when the path will look this inviting again. They know all too well that getting close guarantees nothing.
That is why the price of Wilson or Crosby must be measured against more than the picks leaving the building.
It must be measured against the cost of another opportunity slipping away.
The 49ers have already paid that bill too many times.
If a reasonable deal can bring either player to San Francisco, they should make it.
Losing the draft picks would sting.
Another long offseason spent wondering what might have delivered that elusive championship would hurt far worse.
