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You’ll read one of their articles from the last link, but there’s a newer 49ers website called “49ersgoldmine.com” that has been pumping out quality articles this past month. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but we try to include every voice in our links so we’re getting all different types of perspectives.
Kurt Warner questions if 49ers’ Josh Rosen can turn NFL career around
“To me, there are a lot of questions based on what I’ve seen and the fact that he continues to bounce around,” Kyle Warner, now an NFL Network analyst, told Branch. “A guy that continues to bounce around, most times you say ‘OK, enough coaches have seen him and this is probably going to be just what he is.’
“That’s always a concern to me, Warner told Branch. “You talk about accuracy and very seldom do you see a guy that’s not very accurate in college become really accurate in the NFL ... And you don’t see a lot of guys that just get better and better at processing information. Either you understand that, and you can see it and your eyes go to the right place or they don’t.”
The phrase “when he’s healthy” has become all too common a portion of the Jimmy Garoppolo conundrum. Even if Garoppolo was an above-average starter, him being mostly unavailable because of injuries for the better part of two of his three full seasons as an expected starter would probably convince most teams across the league they’d have to consider better alternatives.
Lynch and the Niners are certainly exploring this, although they’ve remained awfully quiet on the comments section. That’s for good reason, too. What message would it send to Garoppolo and the locker room if they were publically calling out Jimmy G for being oft-injured and wanting an upgrade, only to see no plausible solutions presented and being forced to roll with Garoppolo in 2021 instead?
No. 4: SF 49ers shouldn’t spend good money on a wide receiver
The Niners already have their top two wide receivers identified for 2021 and beyond, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
There are, however, question marks about the depth behind them. Kendrick Bourne and Trent Taylor are unrestricted free agents. Richie James and River Cracraft are role players, and the 2020 rookie, Jauan Jennings, is a developmental piece at best after spending his first year on the practice squad. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurd has yet to step on the field for a regular-season game after missing the last two years with serious injuries.
This might entice Kyle Shanahan to test the free-agent market for wide receiver depth. And while that’s not a bad idea in of itself, overspending on depth receivers would be one of the worst moves San Francisco could make. Even a possible Bourne re-sign deal begins to teeter on the boundary of overpayment.
If the 49ers were to acquire him, then they would be in great standing. The part that is wrong with trading for Brown is that it is the Williams trade all over again. The 49ers will once again be in a desperate spot to find an adequate replacement at left tackle. Only this time Brown will come at a significantly greater cost.
By acquiring Brown, the 49ers will have openly admitted that they fumbled the handling of Williams. If there is one thing the 49ers love, especially Kyle Shanahan, it is their image. Trading for Brown while Williams walks looks like a panic move. They could have extended him immediately once they traded for him. That is what the Vikings were going to do had they gotten their hands on Williams. Instead, the 49ers operated in good faith with Williams by restructuring his deal to forfeit their ability to franchise tag him.
Why the 49ers shouldn’t have a “Super Bowl or bust” plan this offseason.
Add that to the fact that the 2019 49ers defense isn’t walking through the door in 2021. With a rookie defensive coordinator in Demeco Ryans at the helm of a defense that may have quite a few new faces, it may be unrealistic to expect them to even be as good as the 2020 49ers defense. Without a true franchise QB, your football team is only as good as your weakest link. Keeping Garoppolo will make it difficult to have a strong weak link. So what should the plan be?
Lynch and Shanahan now have a chance to right their wrongs from the 2017 draft. It’s time for them to stop kicking the can down the road. This is their best chance to finally acquire their true franchise QB. Even with Garoppolo, a healthy 49ers team will probably still be in the playoff hunt. A later pick in what looks to be a less talented 2022 QB class means the 49ers should look to address QB this offseason, not next. They won’t be in this position again. If I’m the 49ers, I’m looking to acquire a top 4 pick, before free agency even starts.