With Colin Kaepernick opting out of his contract, the San Francisco 49ers have zero quarterbacks on their roster to start NFL free agency. Our final positional free-agency breakdown looks at this all-too-important position.
will be the starting quarterback for your San Francisco 49ers in 2017.
Seriously, it’s anyone’s guess.
That’s because the Niners have a whopping total of zero QBs on their roster to kick off NFL free agency this season. None.
San Francisco 49ers
Colin Kaepernick opted out of his contract and is now a free agent. And his backups from a year ago — Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Thad Lewis — are also free to sign elsewhere. It’s also unlikely the Niners bring back any of the aforementioned names this season.
Panic mode?
Perhaps, especially considering both the free-agent market and NFL Draft may not provide the most desirable of options heading into the new NFL year.
OK, so general manager John Lynch will have a quarterback — or three — on the roster by the time Week 1 rolls around. And we should assume head coach Kyle Shanahan, who has worked wonders with lesser-known QBs before, should get the best out of the next signal-caller.
Just determining who winds up being the guy remains a major question.
49ers Trade Moves?
Sports Illustrated’s Mike Silver (h/t Marc Sessler of NFL.com) told NFL Network Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins would likely wind up with the Niners this offseason.
.@MikeSilver tells @NFLNetwork 'it's more likely than not that Kirk Cousins ends up being the 49ers quarterback.'
— Marc Sessler (@MarcSessler) March 7, 2017
This would, of course, involve a trade between San Francisco and Washington. Since the Redskins applied the exclusive franchise tag on Cousins, any trade scenario could take place — not just the one requiring two first-round draft picks.
Still, it’s likely the Redskins are panning for a hefty package in return. And while the QB-needy 49ers could be aggressive here, Silver’s prediction remains just that.
Besides, Lynch and Shanahan could easily have Cousins in 2018 — when he’s a free agent — and not have to give up anything in trade compensation.
Projecting Free-Agent Moves
Regardless whether or not the 49ers land Cousins, Lynch will likely pull in at least one veteran quarterback on the free-agent market.
This could include backups like Brian Hoyer, formerly of the Chicago Bears, and Matt Schaub, who worked under Shanahan as a backup to No. 1 QB Matt Ryan last year.
Update: The 49ers are reportedly signing Hoyer to a two-year deal, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:
Source: FA QB Brian Hoyer is headed to the #49ers. Reunion with Kyle Shanahan
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2017
It’s a 2-year deal for #49ers and QB Brian Hoyer. Fair to say, this makes it unlikely they bring in Kirk Cousins in a trade with #Redskins
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2017
Other names in the mix include Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who might wind up being released if Chicago can’t move him. Although it’s hard to see any connection between the Niners and Cutler in 2017.
Mike Glennon was another QB linked to San Francisco, although a report from CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco shot that down.
Projecting 2017 Depth Chart
????
Seriously. That’s the situation, at least right now. Don’t count on a Kaepernick reunion. And don’t count on the 49ers aggressively pursuing Cousins either. San Francisco’s brass can be patient — remember, both Lynch and Shanahan have six-year deals in place.
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An educated guess would be the Niners bringing in two veteran QBs as stopgap options for 2017. And then Lynch selects two more — perhaps one early and one late — in the upcoming NFL Draft.
These four would compete in training camp, with the hope the premier draftee would look the part of taking over in 2018 or so.
Next: NFL Free Agency: Breaking Down Each Team's Biggest Need
Still, this remains a very serious unanswered question for San Francisco. And we certainly haven’t heard the last bit of buzz surrounding what the 49ers do here.