5 quarterbacks to consider if SF 49ers pull plug on Jimmy Garoppolo
By Peter Panacy
The SF 49ers could be losing patience with Jimmy Garoppolo quickly in 2020. But if they move on, who winds up being the likely replacement in 2021?
The evidence is mounting the SF 49ers aren’t viewing Jimmy Garoppolo as their long-term option at quarterback.
Forget what happened in the last 10 minutes, or so, of Super Bowl LIV. Instead, focus on the laugher of efforts Jimmy G has put together over two key games in 2020: Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins and Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks. Perhaps Garoppolo’s injured ankle, suffered back in Week 2, has been a problem. And maybe that’s the reason why head coach Kyle Shanahan pulled the quarterback from both those ugly losses.
But it doesn’t automatically change the reality Garoppolo is a decent quarterback, whose stats are often inflated by the large chunks of yards gained after the catch. When the system works, it works well.
When it doesn’t, results like the Niners’ ugly 37-27 road loss to the Seahawks, in which Garoppolo had a mere 84 pass yards before exiting in the third quarter for his backup, Nick Mullens.
Naturally, there’s going to be chatter the SF 49ers move on from Garoppolo this offseason. Doing so would free up $24.1 million in cap space against just $2.8 million in dead money, according to Over the Cap.
While hot-take reactions like that are great, there needs to be a contingency plan.
Seriously, who would start for Shanahan and Co. in 2021 if San Francisco indeed pulls the plug on Jimmy G?
There are some options, both via free agency, possible trades and the 2021 NFL Draft. When thinking about Shanahan and the Niners’ current position, both in terms of cap space and draft capital, here are five of the likeliest possible options on the table.