The stellar power available to the quarterback this offseason could be enough to profoundly alter the NFL landscape. Deshaun Watson appears ready to leave Houston. Matthew Stafford is leaving Detroit and a solemn Aaron Rodgers press conference has sparked speculation (emphasis on speculation) that could end the Packers.
The 49ers may be looking for an update on the quarterback, meaning any potentially available signal call will be tied to San Francisco and head coach Kyle Shanahan. While this logic keeps track, especially in the case of an obvious update on Garoppolo like Watson or Rodgers, it’s important to keep a couple of things in mind.
First, there have been no substantial reports relating the 49ers to any of the possible trades.
The Dolphins and Jets are the only teams named in any report on Watson.
The Stafford report has just indicated that the Lions are making calls about a trade now that they have agreed to part ways with their quarterback.
Rodgers only had a sad press conference that led some to read between the lines of his answers. There’s still nothing on the table to indicate that he even wants to leave Green Bay.
The other thing to keep in mind is the 49ers ’position with Jimmy Garoppolo. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have indicated they expect Garoppolo to be the starter next season.
Shanahan said that for San Francisco to be entertained by making a change to the quarterback, the player should be a significant improvement. Given the draft capital, a quarterback would have to be acquired that represented the significant improvement the 49ers would be looking for increases the risk factor in any risk-reward analysis for San Francisco.
It looks and seems like the 49ers ’technical staff and front office feel better about their chances with Garoppolo in the center than some fans and analysts. They have said everything about the QB and their actions have supported it so far. They haven’t drafted a quarterback since they took on CJ Beathard in the third round of the 2017 draft. Sure, that could change this year if there aren’t quarterbacks that Garoppolo and Josh Johnson hired for next season, but that may not be the case. alter Garoppolo’s short-term prospects as a San Francisco interlocutor.
Shanahan has built a list full of players who can still produce gardens and great plays, even with Garoppolo’s weaknesses pushing the ball into the field of play. Valuable projection capital trading in a year where the salary cap could become a problem and so many holes in the list have been opened would only make sense for a player to change the franchise under center.
There is now a discussion about Garoppolo’s long-term future with San Francisco.
They have decided not to extend it, although doing so could free up money in the short term, and their injury problems are a real concern for a team sitting in the middle of a championship window. Not to mention Garoppolo’s shortcomings as a quarterback are probably not something Shanahan will want to make up for over the next decade.
Still, that doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to make a play for an available quarterback, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise that they end up becoming a real factor.
Watson has a non-commercial clause that can allow him to dictate where he plays. If the 49ers aren’t a team they prefer, there’s nothing San Francisco can do about it.
Stafford has less control, but the Lions may be willing to work with him if their relationship is still friendly. There’s also the possibility that Stafford won’t fit the upgrade threshold that Shanahan says it requires to move from Garoppolo.
Rodgers may not even want to be swapped, so for now, he will oppose it. Even then, he’ll have plenty of leverage when the 49ers might be a factor he didn’t want to go for.
The 49ers need to figure out their long-term response to the quarterback soon. It is the most important position on the field and Garoppolo may not be the player he will build. Still, that doesn’t mean they have to do anything drastic in 2021. The fact that there may be quarterbacks on the move doesn’t mean San Francisco’s participation is guaranteed. And when it comes to getting it, they may not have much choice.