SF 49ers must call these 4 free-agent QBs after Jimmy Garoppolo injury
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Quarterback Target No. 1: Drew Stanton
While reclamation projects and younger add-ons to the SF 49ers might be one route Kyle Shanahan elects to take to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, another could simply be to add an aging veteran with some well-valued advise to pass along to the rest of the offense.
More from SF 49ers Free Agency
- Former 49ers kicker Robbie Gould still wants to play for Bears
- 49ers bolster wide receiver room by grabbing Chris Conley
- 49ers news: Kerry Hyder is back to bolster defensive line depth
- Low-risk free agents 49ers can still target before NFL Draft
- 49ers aren’t talking to this free agent (but they should)
Many teams carry these kinds of quarterbacks: players who have bounced around the league for years but have somehow managed to stick around despite never being truly “wanted” by any particular franchise for an extended period of time.
That’s certainly the case for veteran free-agent quarterback Drew Stanton, who last signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns back in 2018 and hasn’t played since 2017 when he was with the Arizona Cardinals.
Stanton, who has a career-52.4 completion percentage and 66.3 passer rating, isn’t someone you’d want taking the field. But as a third-tier option behind Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard, he’d at least serve as a mentor of sorts, having seen plenty of action over the course of his career in spot starts and during fill-in work, mostly on bad teams.
Plus, like all the other signal-callers on this list, Stanton would be on a veteran’s minimum deal.
Next. 5 quarterbacks to consider if 49ers pull plug on Jimmy Garoppolo. dark
The only hope would be his mentorship value would exceed the cost paid out to keep him around as a tertiary emergency option.