It’s not a secret that the San Francisco 49ers will likely be looking for a new starting quarterback this offseason. The question here is more about how they will land said quarterback.
There’s multiple scenarios in play here. San Francisco can go the traditional route by selecting a quarterback No. 2 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. They can also look at a free-agent market that will likely include Jay Cutler, Tony Romo and Brian Hoyer.
In addition to this, Colin Kaepernick remains a viable possibility. He met with the 49ers’ new brass this week and things seemed to go well there (more on that here).
Though, there’s definitely another scenario in play here. Linked to New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo and Washington Redskins Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins, the 49ers could potentially work out trade for a franchise signal caller.
Much like the deal they worked out to send Alex Smith to Kansas City back in 2013, it’s also a possibility that said trade could be completed at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next week.
“Four years ago at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the 49ers agreed to the trade that sent quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs,” CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported on Friday. “Next week, the 49ers could have similar discussions. Only this time, they figure to be in the market to acquire a starting quarterback.”
Reports have previously suggested that San Francisco could use the second overall pick as bait to help acquire Cousins from the Redskins. The backstory here is also very interesting. There’s been some noise around the football world that some within the Redskins’ organization don’t view Cousins as a long-term solution at quarterback (more on that here).
All the while, Cousins himself may not want to play for the team long term. This also comes right after the quarterback himself praised San Francisco’s new brass, former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan included.
Now that Shanahan is the head coach of the 49ers, we can connect the dots here.
For his part, Shanahan has recently indicated that he absolutely loved Garoppolo coming out Eastern Illinois back in 2014. That has obviously led to speculation that the Patriots and 49ers might work out a trade here.
One thing is clear. Any trade for either of these two quarterbacks wouldn’t come cheap from either a compensation or salary standpoint. With potentially upwards of $100 million to spend in free agency and boasting the second overall pick, San Francisco is in as good of a position as any team to pull off a blockbuster trade.
It will most definitely be a hot topic of conversation at the combine in Indianapolis next week.