Going into the off-season of the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers has 38 players who are competing for the unrestricted free agency. Two of them occupy the most important position in football.
Reserve defender Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard’s contracts have expired, putting the spotlight on whether general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan will add a flag in this off-season.
We heard rumors about the 49ers being linked to some quarterbacks already, but Matthew Stafford is now with the Los Angeles Rams and Deshaun Watson remains with the Houston Texans. The New York Jets could also pass 2018, the third choice, Sam Darnold.
Until we hear the opposite, Jimmy Garoppolo remains the holder of San Francisco. The Niners have hired Josh Rosen again and also have Josh Johnson under contract for next season.
Why is it important for 49ers to look for another veteran to back up Garoppolo?
On the one hand, the 29-year-old’s durability was questioned after losing most of two of the previous three seasons. Garoppolo tore his ACL in week 3 of the 2018 season and dealt with multiple ankle injuries that forced him to lose 10 games in 2020.
Second, we saw the results without Jimmy G in the lineup. Mullens had most of the games with Garoppolo off the pitch and ended the campaign with a 2-6 record. Mullens completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,437 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Although his statistics look respectable, Mullens was responsible for several exhausting twists that led to losses in San Francisco.
The 25-year-old had a difficult period of three games from week 13 to 15, where he had seven twists and turns that resulted in 34 points for the opponent. Pro Football Focus gave Mullens a score of 56.9 this season, ranking 38th out of 40 eligible quarterbacks. His tentative adjusted yards were 6.6, and he ended the year with a 44.4 CBR.
Beathard started the last two competitions of the regular season, helping the 49ers to beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16 before losing the final against the Seattle Seahawks. The third round of 2017 completed 66 of 104 passes for 787 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Beathard’s adjusted yards per attempt were larger than Mullens at 8.7, and he had 53.4 CBR.
None of the defenders did enough to show that they should definitely be brought back for the 2021 season. With Garoppolo’s injury history and a squad that is among the best in the league when totally healthy, Shanahan and Lynch can look for an option veteran as a reserve.
Here is a summary of some of the QBs that may be available on the open market:
The best QB on the market
Dak Prescott suffered a terrible leg injury in week 5 while playing under the franchise brand. Prescott will likely end up signing with the Dallas Cowboys again, and unless the Niners cut Garoppolo, his contract requirements are too rich for their blood.
Dual threat options
Mitchell Trubisky’s tumultuous time with the Chicago Bears could be coming to an end. The Bears refused to choose the fifth year option for the second overall choice of the NFL’s 2017 Draft. Trubisky was replaced after Week 3 in favor of Nick Foles, but got the starting post when the veteran got injured in Week 10. Trubisky took Chicago to a 3-1 record in the last four games and helped the franchise reach the playoffs .
Jacoby Brissett was Phil Rivers’ reserve at Indy and could sign again with the Colts to back up the newly acquired Carson Wentz. Brissett helped Indianapolis start 5-2 in 2019, but then lost seven of the final games,
Cam Newton seems to be at peace with the Patriots. Although Newton still manages to make moves with his feet (he ran 592 yards and 12 touchdowns), his arm talent is not close to what it used to be. The former NFL MVP would not be a big scheme for Shanahan’s attack and his best days are definitely behind him.
Robert Griffin III was Lamar Jackson’s reserve with the Baltimore Ravens and had a history with Shanahan. The pair spent two seasons together in Washington, where Griffin won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Tyrod Taylor was designed to be the holder of the Los Angeles Chargers until a mistake by the team coach resulted in the loss of the veteran’s job to rookie Justin Herbert. The 32-year-old has been a 24-22-1 starter since 2011.
The veteran retreaded
Ryan Fitzpatrick helped the Miami Dolphins win five of the nine games he played in, but coach Brian Flores ended up giving the keys to choosing the first round of 2020, Tua Tagovailoa. The 39-year-old showed he can still play, as we saw firsthand when he lit the Niners (and cornerback Brian Allen) for 350 yards and three touchdowns in week 5. Fitzpatrick could be an attractive option for a team looking for a bridge quarterback. He was disappointed with the way things ended in Miami and may be thinking about starting in 2021.
Andy Dalton was put into action by the Cowboys as soon as Prescott fell. Red Rocket played 11 games and finished with 2,169 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and eight choices. The 33-year-old has a career record of 74-66-2.
Some of the other names that should be available in the off-season include Joe Flacco, Matt Barkley, Mike Glennon, Blake Bortles and Blaine Gabbert.
There is also a more intriguing younger option. Brandon Allen spent the 2020 season with Cincinnati Bengals. The 28-year-old scored 1-4 after Joe Burrow fell, completing 63.4% of his passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns and four choices.
San Francisco is well positioned to be a contender next season, with Garoppolo as the starter. The 49ers won 72.7 percent of the games (including playoffs) that Garoppolo started since joining the team in 2017.
But his health concerns are entirely valid, as he has lost 23 games in the past three seasons. With a list of top talent like Nick Bosa, George Kittle, Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel and potentially Trent Williams, Lynch and Shanahan it would be wise to add a reliable backup.
If Niners hire a veteran QB in a free agency, which available player do you think would be the most suitable?