San Francisco 49ers' Renardo Green intercepting a pass
Getty
San Francisco 49ers' Renardo Green intercepting a pass
T
he San Francisco 49ers are more ready than ever before. Despite a promising 2025 season that saw the team go 12-5 and return to the playoffs after a one season absence, the 49ers saw their Super Bowl hopes crumble in the NFC divisional playoffs, losing to the Seattle Seahawks. Experiencing extremely bad luck with injuries, the 49ers lost a number of stars throughout the year, which proved too much to overcome when it came time for the playoffs. But injuries were not the only issue for the 49ers this season.
The 49ers did not get the production out of second year cornerback, Renardo Green, that they would have liked. A second round draft pick in 2024, Green showed why the 49ers invested in him and emerged as a starter by the end of the year– finishing his rookie campaign with 61 tackles and an interception. But in 2025, his second season in the league, Green regressed and struggled mightily at times– failing to record a single interception in 14 games. Now, Green has a lot to prove heading into the 2026 season– that is, if he is even on the 49ers.
Green Could be a Trade Candidate
All offseason long, Green has been at the center of trade rumors but the 49ers have stuck by their young cornerback, shutting down any speculation that he will be traded. But that has not stopped the trade talks, with Bleacher Report coming out with an article earlier this week about Green being an under the radar trade candidate.
“The San Francisco 49ers have a tough decision to make regarding Renardo Green. The cornerback has shown glimpses of the talent that made him a second-round pick in the 2024 draft and even emerged as a full-time starter last year, but his inconsistencies have also set the team back,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay said in the article. “Despite starting 14 games and playing 92 percent of the defensive snaps in those contests, Green only contributed 60 tackles and zero picks in 2025. He secured his lone interception as a professional early in his rookie year and hasn’t come up with any takeaways since.”
“While Green is a capable coverage man—evidenced by his 23 pass defenses in 31 games—who plays aggressively to make up for his lack of size, he’s been prone to taking unnecessary gambles. He’s also experienced mental lapses that have hindered San Francisco’s defensive efforts,” Kay added. “It remains to be seen how he’ll fit within the system of new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who took over the role from Robert Saleh this offseason. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was visibly frustrated with Green during the team’s playoff matchup against the rival Seattle Seahawks, at one point pulling him from the game and chewing him out on the sidelines.”
Would the 49ers Actually Move Green
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan continue to deny that they want to trade Green, but given how the 49ers have needs elsewhere on the roster, they may consider it if a team calls with a strong offer. And it also helps that Green is not owed very much the next two seasons, which makes any potential departure easy financially for the 49ers.
“Despite Shanahan chalking the moment up to “coaching aggressively,” that moment could be indicative of a franchise ready to move on from the corner,” Kay said. “General manager John Lynch has vehemently denied the Niners are shopping Green, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if teams still come calling with the hopes of landing a talented young corner who appears to have fallen out of favor in San Francisco. Green is only due a shade over $3 million for the next two seasons combined and could net the 49ers a solid return during the 2026 NFL draft.”