The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly reunited with linebacker Dre Greenlaw and it's now worth revisiting a previous trade rumor that involved the New York Giants.
That trade rumor came from Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com, who had reported that the Niners might consider trading superstar linebacker Fred Warner if they could get Greenlaw back.
"I don’t know if San Francisco will trade Warner. Heard they might consider it if somehow they could get Dre Greenlaw back in the fold," Stapleton reported.
Not long after that, Easton Butler of Packer Report revealed that the Niners were getting calls on Warner, and the Giants were one of those teams.
"The 49ers have been receiving calls about LB Fred Warner, with the Giants being one of the calls, per source," Butler reported.
At the time of Stapleton's report, it all seemed far-fetched, if for no other reason than Greenlaw was still with the Denver Broncos.
But now that the Broncos released Greenlaw and he's back with the Niners, a Warner trade is at least worth keeping an eye on.
The Giants' need at linebacker isn't as dire as it once was, as the team has since signed Tremaine Edmunds and re-signed Micah McFadden.
But as good as Edmunds and McFadden are, they are not Warner, who can singlehandedly change the face of a defense by himself.
That said, why the Niners would want to trade the heart and soul of their defense is a question that doesn't have a good answer, especially when you consider the dead money San Francisco would be taking on.
We remain highly skeptical about this rumor, but it is at least a bit interesting that the Greenlaw piece has fallen into place.
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