49ers quarterback search: 3 backups who can help Jimmy Garoppolo
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers quarterback controversy this offseason has centered on Jimmy Garoppolo, but finding adequate backups could be just as vital.
No player on the San Francisco 49ers roster has gone through more scrutiny or speculation this offseason than quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
For good reason, too. Garoppolo, despite being a big part of the Niners’ Super Bowl run in 2019, missed the bulk of games in 2018 and 2020 due to multiple injuries. And while it might be debatable just how effective he is on the field, it’s safe to say no team around the league would be willing to shell out the $26.6 million he’s set to earn in 2021 if he was to sign a brand-new free-agent deal on the open market.
Perhaps head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to move on. But with options dwindling, there’s still a good chance Jimmy G winds up retaining his hold on the starter’s job this season.
Yet San Francisco’s quarterback situation doesn’t end there. Behind him, the 49ers are poised to lose two of their backups, Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard, to free agency in 2021. Mullens is of the restricted variety. But after posting an iffy 84.1 passer rating with a league-worst 3.7 interception percentage last year, it appears as if Mullens regressed from the modestly impressive performances he showcased in 2018 in Garoppolo’s stead. There’s a real chance the Niners won’t want to offer Mullens a restricted tender.
Beathard, meanwhile, owns just two wins after being selected in Round 3 of the 2017 NFL Draft. Despite Shanahan’s apparent affinity with Beathard, it doesn’t seem plausible San Francisco would entertain keeping the former Iowa signal-caller.
Instead, these three other candidates could be viewed as potential backup options, particularly if Garoppolo does wind up taking the reins under center in 2021.