Wild Blockbuster Trade Moves 49ers’ Brock Purdy, Lands Tua Tagovailoa in NFC

There’s bold, and then there’s borderline unthinkable.

That’s pretty much the only way to describe the trade idea concocted by Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports.

In a hypothetical attempt to see what “some of the wildest NBA-style deals” would look like in the NFL, he put together a potential four-team trade that would send 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to the Miami Dolphins and current Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins to San Francisco.

To be fair, Benjamin admitted the trade “almost certainly never come to fruition,” but argued that it “just might make some sense for all sides … if only NFL teams were aggressive enough.”

Let’s break down Benjamin’s entire trade proposal — we hope you brought snacks.

49ers 4-Team Trade Proposal Swaps Brock Purdy for Kirk Cousins, Draft Picks

Here’s a look at the full trade proposal Benjamin put together:

• 49ers get: QB Kirk Cousins (Falcons), 2026 second-round pick (Dolphins), 2026 third-round pick (Saints)
• Dolphins get: QB Brock Purdy (49ers)
• Saints get: QB Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins)
• Falcons get: C Matt Hennessy (49ers), 2026 fifth-round pick (Saints)

“The 49ers just paid Purdy, which is completely understandable, but we know Kyle Shanahan has an affinity for his old pal Cousins, and we know Cousins is currently blowing in the wind, awaiting an opportunity as Atlanta’s No. 2,” Benjamin wrote on July 7, adding:

“The Purdy-to-Cousins swap might be a downgrade in 2025, but adding a couple of early-round picks could help San Francisco replenish its greater infrastructure.”

Perhaps there will always be discussions about Cousins due to his connection with Shanny dating back to Shanahan’s Washington days. Cousins’ familiarity with Shanahan’s system coupled with the 49ers’ coach’s admitted affinity for the veteran QB have some analysts convinced Cousins should be San Francisco bound.

But from the 49ers’ perspective, trade proposals like this have more red flags than anything else.