Kyle Shanahan on Monday said the 49ers will do their due diligence in figuring out the 49ers’ 2021 quarterback composition in the offseason, but his theme was this:
The 49ers will have to have a very good alternative if the starter is going to be someone other than Jimmy Garoppolo.
“Because Jimmy’s shown in one year that he’s a guy that can take us to the Super Bowl, and I also think Jimmy’s gonna get a lot better the more he plays,” Shanahan said.
When asked directly if he thought Garoppolo would be the starter in 2021, Shanahan said, “Yes, I do believe Jimmy is going to be our quarterback next year.” 
Garoppolo’s future was the main line of questioning in Monday’s Zoom news conference after Shanahan all but ruled out the quarterback for Sunday’s finale against the Seahawks. He noted Garoppolo, who’s been out with a high ankle sprain since the Week 8 game against the Seahawks, wasn’t on track to play again this season when he returned to practice last week. He said he’d be “shocked” if the timeline changes.
That means Garoppolo’s season will end with six starts, two of which he did not finish because of high ankle sprains.
Shanahan left himself some wiggle room on the quarterback question. He noted that he and general manager John Lynch try to upgrade every position in the offseason. For example, in the most recent offseason the duo contemplated adding Tom Brady before deciding to stick with Garoppolo.
Coaches also routinely lavish players with praise before moving on from them. Shanahan, for instance, once said that defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was “someone we want to be a Niner for a long time.” The 49ers earlier this year traded Buckner for a first-round draft pick they used on defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Still, Shanahan didn’t give a pat answer when it came to Garoppolo on Monday. Instead, he noted there were several reasons to stick with him as the starter.
When Garoppolo’s team-high salary — the 49ers can part with him and
save $24.1 million against their cramped salary cap — was raised, Shanahan noted Garoppolo probably will rank in the mid-teens when it comes to the highest paid quarterbacks in 2021.
“Jimmy’s one of the middle quarterbacks in the league right now in terms of salary,” he said. “That’s just how much they cost. So it’s not like it’s something ridiculous or anything like that. So we can work all that out. And, not to mention, look at Jimmy’s record when he’s been here. Jimmy, you can win with. He’s proven that. And he’s proven he’s a starting quarterback in this league.”
The 49ers’ record under Shanahan, including the playoffs, when Garoppolo’s been the starter: 24-9. The team’s record in games Garoppolo didn’t start in that span: 7-26.
There
aren’t a lot of obvious alternatives to Garoppolo to be the 49ers’ starter.
The 49ers currently have the 14th selection in the draft. They could use their top pick on a quarterback, but it’s difficult to see them leapfrogging other quarterback-needy teams for either of the top two passers, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or BYU’s Zach Wilson.
Meanwhile, veteran quarterbacks who might be available either have been statistically worse than Garoppolo, would be just as expensive to sign or would come with a steep trade price. Most newcomers at the position, rookie or veteran, might take a year or so to get up to speed in Shanahan’s comprehensive offense.
When asked about Garoppolo’s long injury history and the need to bolster the backup spot, Shanahan noted that even starter-quality backups are expensive. He seemed to indicate he’d be fine with C.J. Beathard or Nick Mullens in that position for another season. 
Beathard is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March. Mullens, who will have surgery on his throwing arm, is a restricted free agent.
“If you want to upgrade at backup quarterback — I think we’ve got two really good backup quarterbacks,” Shanahan said. “Do you want to go get a starter as a backup quarterback? Then you’ve just got to decide if you want to spend a majority of your salary cap on your first- and second-string quarterbacks.”
Shanahan also returned on Monday to a theme he struck when Garoppolo’s critics began to howl following the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss in February. He noted then that despite Garoppolo’s 19-game season he was still an inexperienced quarterback. He pointed out that Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, the top pick in 2018, had more starts than Garoppolo, who entered the NFL in 2014.
That disparity is even more pronounced now. Garoppolo made little progress this season, which Shanahan acknowledged on Monday.
While his 67.1 completion percentage this season ranks 12th among quarterbacks with 100 or more passing attempts this season, his 92.4 passer falls in the bottom half of the league largely because of a lousy 7:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Some of Garoppolo’s poor throws in 2020 can be pinned on his injury — not being able to firmly plant on his back foot. Still, Garoppolo threw 39 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in his previous three seasons as well. Heading into the 2020 season, in fact, Garoppolo had thrown interceptions on 3 percent of his attempts, which ranked fourth worst among quarterbacks over the previous three seasons. Only Jameis Winston, Mayfield and Sam Darnold had thrown interceptions more often. 
“The injuries he had kind of took the year from him,” Shanahan said. “It was unfortunate for Jimmy and for our team. I know it’s frustrating for him. But that’s why he’s got to go into this offseason and do everything he can in this offseason to get ready for Week 1 next year.”
As for Sunday’s game, Beathard will make his second straight start. Shanahan said practice-squad quarterback Josh Johnson is on track to come off the COVID-19/reserve list on Thursday, which would give Johnson a chance to be in uniform on Sunday. If he’s not back in time, Josh Rosen will serve as Beathard’s backup.
or Kyle Wilson if they’re ballsy but that’s gonna cost some draft picks we can’t afford to offload with 40 free agents. This offseason is crucial man. I honestly don’t see how Jimmy stays with that cap number but that’s just me
