SF 49ers Bridge Option No. 1: Nick Mullens
The first option for San Francisco to bridge the gap between Jimmy Garoppolo and a rookie prospect is the most obvious, No. 2 quarterback Nick Mullens.
In a way, Mullens is already getting his audition time to potentially replace Jimmy G next season, as Garoppolo is currently sitting on injured reserve with his second high-ankle sprain suffered in 2020.
The results, however, haven’t exactly been promising.
In his first relief stint of Garoppolo this season, Week 3 against the NY Giants, Mullens was impressive enough and threw for 343 yards with a touchdown. The following week against the Philadelphia Eagles, however, a two-interception and four-sack performance led to him being benched in favor of the third-tier option, C.J. Beathard.
Mullens in relief of Garoppolo again versus the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8 was good enough for garbage-time numbers (238 yards and two touchdowns), although he subsequently struggled again versus the Green Bay Packers in Week 9.
That seems to be Mullens’ reputation: a capable backup who’ll win a game or two but remains largely inconsistent.
For a bridge option, however, he still makes sense in 2021. As a restricted free agent next year, the SF 49ers still have some control over retaining him, and a mid-round tender would cost comparable “pennies” compared to what would be dished out to Garoppolo. Plus, Mullens would have the benefit of knowing Kyle Shanahan’s complex offense already.