Parker HurleyOct 14, 2026
Hurley ranks seven 49ers who could be dealt before the trade deadline, with Mac Jones the most likely to move, followed by safeties Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown, then Dre Greenlaw and Keion White as possibilities, and Tatum Bethune and Jack Jones as depth trade candidates.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Parker Hurley said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromJones is not a lock to get traded, but he is still the most likely.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Ranking the 49ers Players Most Likely to be Traded Before the Deadline
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidOct 14
- GradedNov 3
- 1Jack Jones to move — “candidate for a depth trade”“Depth Trades... Jack Jones: Jones has been a disappointment, but he started the past two years and is not in the starting mix in San Francisco.”
- 2Ji'Ayir Brown to move — “could be traded”“The 49ers could trade Brown, and start Mustapha next to Sigle.”
- 3Keion White to move — “San Francisco could move on if a team offers a fifth-round pick or more”“White is not signed beyond this year and is not a Raheem Morris addition. San Francisco could move on if a team offers a fifth-round pick or more.”
- 4Dre Greenlaw to move — “could be traded for a Day Three pick”“If Dugger continues to play well, the team could invest more in the rookie by trading Greenlaw... A Day Three pick is all they would get back.”
- 5Mac Jones to stay put“Jones is not a lock to get traded, but he is still the most likely.”
- 6Malik Mustapha to move — “could net them a fourth- or fifth-round pick in a trade”“If Mustapha has another good start or two, he could net them a fourth- or fifth-round pick.”
- 7Tatum Bethune to move — “a day-three pick could get him traded”“Bethune is inactive most weeks but could compete to start for some teams. A day-three pick could get him traded.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Jones to move — “candidate for a depth trade”1 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ji'Ayir Brown to move — “could be traded”2 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Keion White to move — “San Francisco could move on if a team offers a fifth-round pick or more”3 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Dre Greenlaw to move — “could be traded for a Day Three pick”4 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Mac Jones to stay put5 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Malik Mustapha to move — “could net them a fourth- or fifth-round pick in a trade”6 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Tatum Bethune to move — “a day-three pick could get him traded”7 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 calls · 1 miss · 6 waiting | 0 | 0 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive7 checkable claims — 7 trade and signing calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Trade and Signing CallsJack Jones
Jack Jones to move — “candidate for a depth trade”
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 00this call−0a naive guess=0better than naive×1.72difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Jack Jones
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he leaves
- was with:
- MIA
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 0
- reported:
- released (from SF)
- how he left:
- released
- mechanism:
- traded
- settled by:
- a confirmed report from the crawl (reported outcomes)
- difficulty:
- 1.72
- the naive guess:
- he stays where he is
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 13
2Trade and Signing CallsJi'Ayir Brown
Ji'Ayir Brown to move — “could be traded”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Trade and Signing CallsKeion White
Keion White to move — “San Francisco could move on if a team offers a fifth-round pick or more”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Trade and Signing CallsDre Greenlaw
Dre Greenlaw to move — “could be traded for a Day Three pick”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Trade and Signing CallsMac Jones
Mac Jones to stay put
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Trade and Signing CallsMalik Mustapha
Malik Mustapha to move — “could net them a fourth- or fifth-round pick in a trade”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Trade and Signing CallsTatum Bethune
Tatum Bethune to move — “a day-three pick could get him traded”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Brian Peacock · Roster Spot Calls · Ji'Ayir Brown · Hit 100
Peacock lays out their projected 53-man roster for the 49ers, position by position: three specialists, three quarterbacks (including Curtis Rourke), five running backs, six receivers (cutting Christian Kirk), three tight ends (cutting Braden Willis), nine offensive linemen, ten defensive linemen (with Mykel Williams on PUP), five linebackers, six cornerbacks and four safeties. They also predict a new player will take center snaps in preseason week three.Brandon Carney · Depth Chart Calls · Mac Jones · Hit 92
Carney predicted AJ Brown would not be back with the Eagles, forecast a wave of free-agent landing spots (Breece Hall to the Chiefs, Alec Pierce to the 49ers, Rico Dowdle to the Saints, George Pickens to the Patriots, Mike Evans to the Bills), and named Week 1 starting quarterbacks for several teams in flux. They also gave fantasy takes on Javonte Williams, Chris Olave and others.Pat Gustavson · Depth Chart Calls · Mac Jones · Hit 92
Gustafson predicted AJ Brown leaves Philadelphia (favoring the Raiders as a fit), assigned free agents to landing spots (Kenneth Walker to Jacksonville, Rashid Shaheed to the Raiders, Juwan Jennings to the Chargers, Isaiah Likely to the Titans, Christian Kirk to the Dolphins), and named their Week 1 quarterbacks including Deshaun Watson for Cleveland and Mac Jones to the Vikings.Rich Eisen · Depth Chart Calls · Mac Jones · Hit 92
Eisen endorsed the Colts as a playoff team and Jonathan Taylor as the league's best running back, agreed Mac Jones will be a starting quarterback in 2026 and that Jordan Love will finish no lower than second in MVP voting, and said the Packers look like a 13-14 win team.Chris Brockman · Depth Chart Calls · Mac Jones · Hit 92
Brockman argued the Colts are a playoff team and Jonathan Taylor is the NFL's best running back, said Russell Wilson would hold the Giants' starting job all season, that Mac Jones will be a starting quarterback somewhere in 2026, and that Jordan Love will finish no lower than second in MVP voting.Tyler Sullivan · Trade and Signing Calls · Mac Jones · Waiting
Ranking 10 veteran quarterbacks who could be moved before the Nov. 10 deadline, Sullivan put Mac Jones first while saying San Francisco almost certainly keeps them, suggested Gardner Minshew may now be Arizona's starter, and floated Jonathan Taylor as the Colts' next trade chip.
More trade and signing calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Patricia Traina · Trade and Signing Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Traina expects defensive tackle to be a top need for the Giants in next year's draft, and suggests the Giants could trade J.J. McCarthy next offseason — or keep both them and Jaxson Dart if the return isn't good enough. They also expect Dart to make a full recovery.Michael David Smith · Trade and Signing Calls · Keenan Allen · Hit 100
Smith suggests the Colts are likely to grant Josh Downs' trade request given their contract situation and their recent sell-off, and that they could also try to trade Keenan Allen.