Chatter about the 49ers’ quarterback situation hasn’t stopped since the 49ers fell to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
The odds San Francisco moves on from a quarterback who went 13-3 in his first full season as a starter, and was one or two throws away from winning Super Bowl MVP, are something near zero.
Tom Brady’s name was the one that immediately surfaced, but he’s hardly the only free agent quarterback on the market. There are also questions about whether he would actually offer an upgrade for a 49ers team that’s championship window is still open.
If San Francisco did decide to blow up a Super Bowl contender, they’d surely only do so for a quarterback that provided a substantial upgrade at a price tag close to or below Garoppolo’s. We went through some of the free agent quarterbacks to see whether there actually is an available player who’d legitimately be a better option under center next season.
Tom Brady | Philip Rivers | Dak Prescott | Teddy Bridgewater | Jameis Winston | Ryan Tannehill | Marcus Mariota
Tom Brady
There’s not a better quarterback in the league from a resumé standpoint than Brady. Unfortunately for him, resumés don’t win football games. At age 43, it’s hard to imagine he’d be an upgrade over Garoppolo, but other things factor in as well. Brady needs time to develop chemistry with receivers, and the 49ers have a ton of questions at that position. Not to mention his mobility isn’t great, which eliminates some of what the 49ers are able to do on offense. Brady statistically was not better than Garoppolo last season, and it’s hard to believe that’d change in 2020.
Philip Rivers
Rivers threw fewer touchdowns and more interceptions than Garoppolo in 115 more attempts last season. He doesn’t even have a sterling resumé to lean back on. Rivers has been pretty underrated during his time as an NFL quarterback, but he’s probably beyond the point of being a productive player for a Super Bowl contender.
Dak Prescott
This is an intriguing hypothetical. Prescott threw for nearly 4,902 yards last season along with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in an offense that was often criticized for a lack of creativity. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has never gotten grief for a lack of creativity on offense, and Prescott might thrive in a more dynamic system. On the other hand, it stands to reason Garoppolo might reach Prescott’s numbers in Shanahan’s offense in 2020. Not to mention Prescott has always had the benefit of one the league’s top two or three offensive lines. Prescott and Garoppolo are probably a wash in Shanahan’s system given their individual skill sets, but Garoppolo for now comes in at a much lower price tag even if Prescott is a little bit better.
Teddy Bridgewater
While the Saints didn’t miss a beat last year going 5-0 with Bridgewater under center, his ceiling as a quarterback remains something of an unknown. The 27-year-old has 34 starts across five seasons, and he missed the entire 2016 campaign with a devastating knee injury. His per-16-game numbers in his five starts last season were impressive: 69.7 percent completion rate, 3,856 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. Those would be impressive numbers that represent a step up from Garoppolo, but experience is an even bigger question mark for Bridgewater than it is for the 49ers’ quarterback. If San Francisco did pursue Bridgewater, it’s hard to imagine he’d provide a significant upgrade.
Jameis Winston
There’s a world where the 2015 No. 1 overall pick is a productive quarterback for a playoff team. This is not that world until Winston solves his turnover issue. Giveaways would perhaps be the most likely reason the 49ers would move on from Garoppolo in the first place, and Winston is far worse in that category. While he led the league in passing yards with 5,109, he also led the league in interceptions with 30. That puts his career total at 88 in 72 games. Garoppolo is at 21 in 42 games after tossing 13 last season. Winston may put up bigger numbers, but his penchant for throwing the ball to the wrong team keeps him from being an upgrade for the 49ers.
Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill wouldn’t have made this list prior to last season, but he helped carry the Titans to a playoff berth behind a league-best 9.6 yards per attempt, and a league-high 117.5 passer rating. He was a monster off play action and used his legs effectively while the Titans rode running back Derrick Henry to the AFC championship game. If Garoppolo’s postseason numbers lacked though, Tannehill’s were something south of that. He had 160 passing yards in Tennessee’s first two playoff games, and their offense sputtered against Kansas City when the Chiefs shut down Henry in the AFC title game. While Tannehill was very good, there are still limitations to his game that we’ve seen over the course of his 98 career starts. He’d do okay in San Francisco, but his ceiling at this point isn’t higher than Garoppolo’s.
Marcus Mariota
The Titans were set to roll for one more year with Mariota before switching to Tannehill early last season. The No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft could never get his feet all the way under him and he never scratched the ceiling he set for himself with an outstanding college career. The physical tools are all there with Mariota, but he wouldn’t be an upgrade for the 49ers. The only way a player like Mariota would make sense is in a backup role where he might make a spot start or two, but he’s not better than Garoppolo, even in Shanahan’s offense.
