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Chris Canty’s Wild Trade Proposal Sparks Shockwaves—and Eye Rolls—from NFL Fans
The Trade Idea Nobody Asked For
Chris Canty must’ve had his morning coffee with a shot of chaos when he dropped a trade take that made the NFL world blink twice: Brock Purdy for T.J. Watt. Straight up. One franchise quarterback for one of the league’s most feared pass rushers.
“Using T.J. Watt as a way to be able to pry Brock Purdy from San Francisco,” Canty said on ESPN Radio’s UnSportsmanLike, before outlining a scenario where the 49ers somehow land a new quarterback with their 11th overall pick and plug Watt into their front seven like it’s Madden Franchise Mode.
Because hey, why not stir the pot with a trade that makes both teams and their accountants break into a cold sweat?
Why It Makes Sense… to Absolutely No One
Let’s begin with the basics: Brock Purdy is about to get paid. The 49ers trimmed their payroll to clear space for his upcoming mega-extension. Dre Greenlaw? Gone. Deebo Samuel? Dealt. Arik Armstead? Out. This isn’t a coincidence—it’s cap gymnastics to make their QB of the future fit into the books.
But Canty seems to think the 49ers could just hit reset, toss Purdy over to Pittsburgh, and grab a new QB in the draft. Cool. Except for the fact that this isn’t fantasy football, and Shanahan’s not pulling names out of a hat on draft night.
Damien Woody Says: Please Respect the Purdy
ESPN’s Damien Woody wasn’t having it.
“It’s disrespectful to Brock Purdy, to be honest with you,” he said on First Take. “Brock Purdy is what I call a tier-two quarterback… He’s a guy you can win a championship with in this league. There’s no question about it.”
Woody also dismantled the idea that Shanahan can make any QB look elite. “We saw that with Jimmy Garoppolo,” he added, “and I think everyone on this panel would say that Brock Purdy is significantly better than Jimmy.”
In other words: stop pretending Purdy is just another guy. He’s not a product of the system—he’s part of the reason the system works.
Watt’s Peace Sign Sends the Internet into a Spiral
Now, part of the reason this hypothetical trade even came up was Watt’s mysterious Instagram post, where he held up a peace sign. Social media did what it does best: overreact. Was it a goodbye to Steelers Nation? A cryptic contract comment? Or just a “peace out, I’m going on vacation” moment?
No one knows. But the timing was perfect for some wild speculation.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Not Get Watt-Carried Away
T.J. Watt is an elite player. Brock Purdy is a franchise quarterback. Both teams value what they’ve got—and aren’t likely to throw it all away just to shake things up.
Sure, this trade idea made headlines. It made for great radio. But in reality? The only thing getting traded here is common sense—for clicks.
If we’re swapping players for electricity, maybe the 49ers should just install solar panels and keep their quarterback.