Who will play quarterback next season for the San Francisco 49ers? This is the question that is sweeping the nation.
I’m just kidding. It is an important NFL discussion point right now, so much so even OJ Simpson weigh the case. (He’s trading for Houston Texans full-back Deshaun Watson or Dallas Cowboys full-back Dak Prescott.) After a disappointing 6-10 campaign, San Francisco is in a unique position for a big comeback in 2021. if the team is a reliable signal caller, anyway.
The problem is that decent quarterbacks of Pro Bowl quality are quickly snapped up. Matthew Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, a competitor of the division. This week, Philadelphia Eagles traded Carson Wentz, who was terrible in 2020 but only a few years away from an MVP-level campaign, to the Indianapolis Colts. If Wentz can achieve a draft pick from the third round in 2021, as well as a second or first round in 2022, the market for the remaining potential players will be strong.
We evaluated the realistic-looking quarterback rumors last week, and below we do the same based on new internet.
Jimmy Garoppolo
If you clicked on this story, you are probably ready to continue with Jimmy G, who missed ten games in 2020 and was not very good in his start. But Garoppolo is still the forerunner to the Niners work, as boring as it may sound. ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler said Sunday that “Garoppolo is still a viable option” for San Francisco. NFL insider Andrew Brandt recently remarked that he does not see the Texans Watson, the Las Vegas Raiders trading with Derek Carr or the Seattle Seahawks trading a disgruntled Russell Wilson. Which definitely narrows it down for the 49ers.
Maar Brandt done adds something interesting: San Francisco’s contract with Jimmy G allows the team to cut ties with him and make just a $ 3 million cut. “If they decide to go on – and it happens in this league, we know that – they are flexible,” Brandt said. ‘They have the ability to do that and not upset their team building, their roster building, their management. , which in my opinion is the optimal way to do it. ‘
In other words, if a positional upgrade presents itself but the other team does not want Garoppolo in the trade again, it will not be a deal for the 49ers.
Deshaun Watson
Watson’s flirtation with the 49ers continues. Last weekend, the aforementioned Fowler also reported that Watson has a short list of teams he is interested in. The one is the Denver Broncos. The other is the Miami Dolphins, who have the most assets to offer the Texans in return. The third franchise is the San Francisco 49ers.
The current general manager of Houston, Nick Caserio, tentatively states that Watson will not be traded. “We have no interest in trading the player,” was his line in late January. That doesn’t mean much, but it’s true that Watson, at five years old, does not have nearly the same leverage as NBA players when they ask for it.
For the Niners to execute a sample transaction, Watson will have to raise his complaints in a public manner, and general manager John Lynch will have to be part of at least two or three first-round drafts, in addition to being a valuable positional player. . It will be worth it, but it’s a lot to give up.
Sam Darnold
Yes, it looks like San Francisco is kicking the tires on this one. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated says at least five teams have called the Jets over the 23-year-old quarterback, and that the 49ers are a potential trading partner, so you can read between the lines. Apparently the Jets, who have the overall draft pick of number 2, give inquiring general managers the same reaction: contact us again soon.
If the Jets decide they want to close a quarter with their leading draft pick, they expect to move quickly on Darnold. And at that point, the 49ers will have a tough decision to make.
A draft choice
The core option! The 49ers have the number 12 choice, so if they can not get Watson, they do not want Darnold and they rather cut Garoppolo, they can always set up their next starter. It would be a risky play, and throwing rookies into the fire is a pretty mixed bag. In addition, Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Zach Wilson of BYU, and Justin Fields of Ohio do not appear to be in the No. 12 spot in most cartoons, making it the least likely option.
However, it’s not entirely unlikely that if Lynch decides he likes North Dakota State’s Trey Lance or Alabama’s Mac Jones, he could decide to save some quarterback space by cutting Garoppolo and taking a chance. to take at a high-risk reward.