The San Francisco 49ers were one of the sneakiest Super Bowl 53 sleepers you could find going into the 2018 NFL season. Kyle Shanahan had pieced together a solid offensive system, and freshly paid franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to be the man to run it.
Things didn’t go quite as planned through a 1-2 start over the first three weeks, but the Niners didn’t have an easy schedule. There was still plenty of optimism that they could regroup and make some heads roll over the course of the remainder of the season.
Perhaps they would have, but things just got a lot more difficult.
Jimmy G went down with a knee injury in week three, one that was revealed on Monday to be of the season-ending variety. Without their top quarterback, the Niners seem to be headed back to square one and may have no choice but to roll with top backup C.J. Beathard.
That sounds all of the horrible, so perhaps the Niners will get a little ambitious and try to figure something else out. Here are six somewhat realistic options they could consider.
Yeah, the Nike guy who sits/kneels during the national anthem. He’s got a case against the league and a big social platform he’s taking advantage of, but it’s possible he wouldn’t mind rescuing his old team.
I doubt the Niners want to deal with that circus again, but it’s hard to argue that Kap doesn’t give them a better chance than C.J. Beathard.
Another interesting element is the fact that San Francisco is on nationally televised games four times before the end of the year.
49ers have four prime-time games from Week Six through Week 10. Short of a trade for Tom Brady, there's only one guy who can salvage the national TV ratings. pic.twitter.com/pfFV4bFwQF
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 24, 2018
To make all of this even more interesting, NFL betting sites like SportsBetting.ag are offering a Colin Kaepernick prop bet that specifically asks if he’ll latch back on with the 49ers in 2018.
My guess would be that isn’t happening, but this is the NFL we’re talking about. Crazy things happen all the time, and there’s no denying Kaepernick offers dual-threat ability and is one of the better options out there.
From a talent perspective, bringing Kap back for one year until Jimmy G gets healthy makes some sense. He’s not a long-term threat, this ends his collusion issue with the NFL, and the Niners might be able to stay competitive.
I don’t think Kaepernick gets them to the Super Bowl (probably not even the playoffs), but if he did either, it’d be one heck of a story.
I’m not sure this is a step up from Kaepernick, especially based on his erratic play with the Bears and Dolphins over the past couple of seasons. That being said, the 35-year-old Cutler has always had a big arm and nice mobility, and there’s still a chance he could thrive in a good system.
That’s certainly something the Niners have going for them, while Cutler would have a deep threat in Marquise Goodwin, a solid possession option in Pierre Garcon, and a rising tight end in George Kittle to work with.
I won’t lie and say Cutler was good in Miami in 2017 or that he’s not close to being done for good.
However, everyone loves a reclamation project, and it sure would be a fun ending to his NFL career if he could swoop in and (try to) play the hero for an injured starter for the second year in a row.
Of the retired/free agent breed, the only quarterback I’d really want is Romo.
I know he’s loving life as a CBS analyst these days (and he’s quite good at it), but Romo is still just 38 years old and could probably come in and pick up Shanny’s offense pretty quickly.
Romo has been fairly emphatic about being satisfied in retirement. He’s got a new job that he loves and still keeps him close to football, so if he ever did go back to the gridiron, it’d probably have to be a truly special opportunity.
I don’t feel like the 49ers really offer Romo what he’d want at this point, but if he did feel they could compete for a championship in 2018, perhaps he’d hear them out.
I’m not here to make a call for Romo, though. All I know is that I think he can still play and that if he wanted to try, he could keep the Niners in contention. Heck, maybe the Niners even get extra ambitious and bring in Dez Bryant, too.
The 49ers were recently spotted bringing in Tom Savage for a visit, so you know they’re pretty desperate. That’s a sign that they’re rolling with C.J. Beathard for now, but it also suggests they’re at least going to look outside their own franchise for some extra help.
I think the best way for them to get better under center will be via trade, and it’s likely going to be for a veteran passer if it happens.
McCown stands out, as he’s really done his job in New York to this point. Sam Darnold is the face of the Jets now, and while McCown could continue helping him mature on the fly, he’s realistically wasting the final year(s) of his career.
McCown is made of glass and hasn’t really ever enjoyed high-level success, but he’s a smart player who knows how to move the ball.
If Shanahan wants a one-year stop-gap that can keep the fort in place until Jimmy G returns, McCown is a solid try.
Foles would be a better option than McCown. He knows how to take advantage of defenses deep down the field, he can manage games, and he’s coming off one of the better Super Bowl performances in NFL history.
Much like McCown, he’s really not needed where he currently is.
Carson Wentz finally made his long-awaited return from a knee injury in week three, and barring another injury, he shouldn’t be giving the ball back to Foles anytime soon.
Foles has had his ups and downs in the league, but he’s still a guy that can win from within the pocket and in the right system can help you make a playoff run.
A clear upgrade over what the Niners presently have, Foles would allow this offense to stretch defenses out and hopefully open things up for Matt Breida and company on the ground.
Few names are hotter than Ryan Fitzpatrick’s right now. Not only was he on an insane tear through the first two weeks of the season, but he wilted in the face of pressure on Monday Night Football in week three.
As good as Fitzpatrick has been in 2018, he’s not the long-term solution for the Buccaneers, and in a matter of hours, many are quickly starting to speculate that Jameis Winston could get his job back when he returns from a three-game suspension next week.
If that’s to be true, Fitzpatrick will soon be relegated to backup duties again, and he’ll be wasting away on the bench. Needless to say, anyone in need of viable quarterback play could then lobby for a trade with Tampa Bay.
If the Bucs are sold on looking ahead with Winston, it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to dump the aging Fitzpatrick for assets and allow Winston to play out the 2018 season without a fan favorite breathing down his neck.
Personally, I really like three options: bringing in Kap, luring Romo out of retirement, and trading for Fitzpatrick. They’re all a lot of fun, and these guys all have unique styles that – in different ways – could help the 49ers make a playoff run this year.
They also wouldn’t be direct threats to Jimmy G’s future with the team, so there’s no real risk in bringing them in for moderate compensation, whether it be as a free agent or via trade.
Shanahan has already pretty much shot down the Kap talk, however, while I don’t think Romo is coming back to play again.
The only viable route is Fitzpatrick, but it’s still possible Tampa Bay just rides the wave out and sees if he can lead them to greatness yet. That, or they just keep him in town in case Winston does something else even dumber than the last thing (I’m not sure that’s possible, though).
Niners fans won’t want to hear it, but ultimately, I bet San Francisco does nothing.
They lost their top quarterback, and that’s a big bummer. Not only was he pretty darn good, but he cost a pretty penny to secure this past offseason. San Francisco committed to him for more than just 2018 or 2019, however, so they will think big picture and try not to overreact too much here.
Even if they did, there’s still the reality that bringing someone else in to try to pick up an offense they don’t know simply is not an easy task. That, plus chemistry can be a concern, and there’s never any guarantee it will work out as planned.
San Francisco’s best course of action is to get C.J. Beathard ready to play for week four and hope he progresses enough throughout the year to keep them in the playoff mix.
From what I’ve seen of Beathard, I don’t envision him leading the 49ers to postseason play. He’s got a good arm and can make plays down the field, but he’s inexperienced and has struggled with turnovers in the past.
The 49ers were a sneaky Super Bowl sleeper, and now they’re not. In a division run by the undefeated Los Angeles Rams, I wouldn’t be chasing the Niners as a threat for the NFC West anytime soon, either.
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