In an NFL analyst’s fictitious transaction, the 49ers would acquire the Dolphins’ $13 million breakout player.

The 2025 NFL season is an important one for the San Francisco 49ers, and they’re coming in shorthanded.

After the disastrous 6-11 campaign they had in 2024, the 49ers have been losing starters left and right. Some of them were lost to free agency, but some, like edge-rusher Leonard Floyd, were released to save money for a potential Brock Purdy extension.

Unfortunately, the fact that the 49ers have a few more bucks to spend doesn’t guarantee that they’ll have an effective pass rush this season. Former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa needs a running made on the other edge, and it’s not entirely clear who that would be right now.

However, one NFL analyst believes the answer for the 49ers could lie in a trade with the Miami Dolphins.

In a recent article, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Miami edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips to San Francisco in exchange for a first-round pick swap (the Dolphins would move up from 13th to 11th) and the 49ers’ fourth-rounder this year.

“The 49ers would move down two spots and give up a fourth-rounder, but they would land a potential starter and cornerstone on the edge,” Barnwell wrote.

“Phillips has looked like a budding breakout candidate, but injuries have stalled his progress. He had 22 sacks over his first 2½ seasons, but he tore an Achilles in 2023 and then tore his ACL early in 2024.”

Phillips, 25, was the 18th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and is making $13 million on his fifth-year option in 2025. But he was limited to four games this past season, months after being awarded the fifth year, so Miami might be willing to move on from him.

That could allow the 49ers a shot at a very young player whose best football is still in front of him. But there would also be pressure to extend him, which hasn’t been San Francisco’s cup of tea so far this offseason.