SANTA CLARA – For most of the last four months, the general manager John Lynch and the head coach Kyle Shanahan, Dels San Francisco 49ers, Have taken every opportunity to reaffirm their faith in what Jimmy Garoppolo will be the starting quarterback for the team in 2021.
While speculation regarding quarterback plans for the Niners it has not ceased, nothing has changed. The only way to move on without Garoppolo, Is if there is certainty of being able to ensure an improvement in its place. To this end, there is a possibility that remains dormant throughout the activities of the seasonal recess of the NFL, His name is Deshaun Watson.
Watson has informed the Houston jeans who has no intention of playing for them again. the Jeans have repeatedly said they have no interest in transferring to Watson. An intense “hen” game seems to be taking place.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN report last month that the 49ers they are a team that “intrigues” a Watson. This is significant just because Watson possesses a total non-exchange clause, and may dictate its destination, if and when, the Jeans they decide to transfer it.
Make no mistake, the situation of Watson is one that closely follows the 49ers, Although there is no guarantee that it will be exchanged, an agreement that the analyst of ESPN, Mike Tannenbaum, believes it would require “at least” 3 first-round picks.
the 49ers, With the twelfth overall selection, would need to include a young star as the defensive wing Nick Bosa or the linebacker Fred Warner as part of the agreement. It can be argued that ls Niners they have to retain their best players, stay with Garoppolo, And use your draft capital to continue building your staff. BosaIn particular, it seems an unlikely token of change given its youth, relatively low price, and the value placed by the Niners in quarterback hunters. Sacrificing too many resources would also make the Niners a less attractive team for a player like Watson.
But Tannenbaum believes that Watson could give to Niners the kind of backbone in the franchise that could make up for the loss of any player involved in the exchange.
“Nick Bosa is one of the top three or four players in the league who are not quarterbacks but should need someone like Deshaun Watson because at least I considered transferring, “But being able to get someone like Deshaun Watson, Changes your franchise for the next 10 years. You are receiving Steph Curry. You’re getting a great player and you’re getting a great leader and a great person. You would let go of Nick Bosa to get to Steph Curry? “.
while the Jeans they seem to intend to keep up with their quarterback, Watson it seems to be reaffirming its stance, leaving teams interested in its services – and there will be many – waiting for the periphery and formulating a plan in case something changes.
According to Tannenbaum, who was general manager for the New York Jets and executive vice president of operations for the Miami Dolphins, The draft of the NFL it is the logical moment for them Jeans decide if your relationship with Watson can be saved.
“It’s amazing to me that six or eight months ago, he signed an extension and you’re going to pay him $ 39 million”; explain Tannenbaum. “You have to make it work. You can’t allow it to work.”
From the perspective of the 49ers, Any potential exchange for Watson seems difficult to concretize, especially before the draft of the NFL. the Niners they have the selection N ° 12, leaving them behind Jets (No 2), Dolphins (No 3), Carolina Panthers (No. 8) i Denver Broncos (No. 9) among the teams that might have an interest in Watson. This is remarkable given the likelihood that any changes will be agreed upon Jeans involving Watson, Will probably require you to be in a position to select your replacement.
Moreover, the Dolphins i Jets they own multiple first-round picks this year, which gives them more ammunition to get a deal on if it’s the route they want to take. All this means that, if the Niners they want to be real players in the potential chase of Watson, They will probably have to grit their teeth and make a tricky decision regarding a stellar player, coupled with draft picks, as a reward.
June Jones, Which led to Garoppolo in the East-west sanctuary game of 2014 and is a believer in his talent, he thinks Watson would provide a set of skills San Francisco which would allow a Shanahan evolve into their offensive.
“He would do great things,” said Jones, a former head coach Atlanta Falcons and current instructor for CoachTube.com. “I think that Kyle Shanahan has cut back a bit on the offensive because he doesn’t have as much confidence in Garoppolo. It’s not the same offensive he ran with [Matt] Ryan when did they go to super Bowl, For example. They were in formations with three, four, five open and were throwing the ovoid. That’s what he did. This has evolved from its staff.
“Deshaun he could do just about anything. I know, whoever gets to Deshaun Watson, He opened things up and will find that this is how they will get the most out of him. “
Since the arrival of Shanahan in 2017, the quarterbacks of the Niners rank No. 29 para NFL in land yards and last in passes traveling at least 20 yards in the air. Watson ranks fourth between quarterbacks in ground yards and No. 11 in passing attempts where the ball travels at least 20 yards, while its 45.4 percent of complete passes in those submissions puts it second in the same period.
A benefit that the Niners they could get if the Watson beyond the draft? Such a scenario would erase any advantage in terms of draft selections that other clubs could have over San Francisco. And, since the 49ers they are comfortable with Garoppolo as its headline for 2021, it doesn’t need to act as a result of despair. the 49ers they can wait without having to rush to another option.
An agreement for Watson it seems unlikely, discounting that he expressly asks to be transferred to the Niners. That means Garoppolo with new substitutes seems the most likely path for the team to 2021. But, crazy things happen in the NFL, And with the salary cap falling and the quarterback carousel spinning, nothing can be ruled out.
“Once you have that quarterback, it changes everything,” Tannenbaum said. “Beyond the price, you’re going to look back and laugh. First-round picks, depending on where you choose, aren’t always a certainty. Deshaun Watson It’s a certainty. “