SF 49ers: 3 bridge quarterbacks to replace Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021

SF 49ers Bridge Option No. 3: Ryan Fitzpatrick

If the SF 49ers want to install at least some aura of entertainment value in 2021, they could do worse than pick up veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick this offseason.

Nick Mullens isn’t exactly the most thrilling of quarterbacks to watch on the field. Matt Barkley would be downright boring to watch, even if he’d be modestly effective. “Fitzmagic,” however, could have that high-flying and attention-grabbing element to him despite the fact he’ll be 38 years old by the time next season rolls around.

San Francisco 49ers

True, Fitzpatrick’s gunslinging ways have often led to a less-than-favorable touchdown-to-interception ratio — 20-to-13 in 2019 and 10-to-7 this year with the Miami Dolphins before they transitioned to their rookie quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

But that’s where the magic might apply with Fitzpatrick being a mentor to a would-be SF 49ers rookie.

Take this from Tagovailoa from USA Today’s Dolphins Wire:

"To be behind a professional like that, to me it’s kind of mind-boggling how down-to-earth he is. It’s one of those things where it’s, this guy gets it. I don’t know what it is, but he gets it and that saying goes true. It says “if you want to get somewhere fast, you go alone, but if you want to do it with purpose, then you bring people with you,” and I think “Fitz” has done a tremendous job in trying to help shape and mold me."

Like the other quarterbacks on this list, Fitzpatrick probably wouldn’t cost too much on the free-agent market. And his already-established reputation as a mentor could do wonders for whoever the Niners may tab as a rookie replacement.

Perhaps this wouldn’t be anything close to the relationship former SF 49ers quarterback Steve DeBerg had with Hall of Famer Joe Montana.

But anything in the ballpark would be more than beneficial.