Jose SanchezOct 29, 2026
Sanchez lays out three 'dream' trade targets for the 49ers — Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack and Garrett Wilson — but concludes none of the deals will happen, expecting the Raiders to keep Crosby, the Chargers to hold onto Mack, and the Jets never to send Wilson to San Francisco.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Jose Sanchez said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe 49ers would ascend dramatically with him, but it'll never happen.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- 3 Dream Trade Targets That Would Transform the 49ers
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Khalil Mack to stay with Los Angeles Chargers“The reason I don't see the Chargers trading Mack is that they haven't fired offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.”
- 2Maxx Crosby to stay with Las Vegas Raiders“Unfortunately, I doubt the 49ers can bring Crosby in. The Raiders are unlikely to be sellers, despite it making sense, especially since trading Crosby already failed once before.”
- 3Garrett Wilson to move — “no chance of being traded to the 49ers; "it'll never happen"”“Unfortunately, Wilson has no chance of being traded to the 49ers. There hasn't been a single notion that the Jets are considering it.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khalil Mack to stay with Los Angeles Chargers1 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Maxx Crosby to stay with Las Vegas Raiders2 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Garrett Wilson to move — “no chance of being traded to the 49ers; "it'll never happen"”3 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 3 trade and signing calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
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 CallsKhalil MackLos Angeles Chargers
Khalil Mack to stay with Los Angeles Chargers
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Trade and Signing CallsMaxx CrosbyLas Vegas Raiders
Maxx Crosby to stay with Las Vegas Raiders
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Trade and Signing CallsGarrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson to move — “no chance of being traded to the 49ers; "it'll never happen"”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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.Kevin Wildes · Game Outcome Picks · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 0
Wildes used their upset alert on the winless Chargers to beat the Rams.Greg Auman · Score Predictions · Los Angeles Chargers · Miss 21
Auman predicts an all-Los Angeles Super Bowl with the Chargers beating the Rams 24-21.Chris Broussard · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Broussard picked the Ravens to beat the Bills in a shootout, 38-34, took the Raiders to upset the Jets, and said Detroit would beat the Vikings.
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.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.Noah Compton · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Compton expects the rebuilding Colts to keep dealing veterans before the November 10 deadline, naming Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs and Grover Stewart as the likeliest remaining trade candidates, and believes Indianapolis should and likely will move on from quarterback Daniel Jones, while Shane Steichen keeps starting Jones in the meantime.