INDIANAPOLIS — I hate to fly halfway across the country and only write about one position, but until they provide an answer, quarterback really is the center of the San Francisco 49ers’ universe.
Wednesday was Kyle Shanahan’s turn to dash the media carwash at the NFL Combine. After his podium hit for the NFL Network, an interview with Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk Live, and an appearance on Sirius XM, Shanahan chatted with a few local scribes.
That’s where the discussion got a little more interesting.
My three significant takeaways:
A) Without naming names, Shanahan acknowledged the 49ers have discussed holding off on adding a Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo type until 2018
There was no way we were letting Shanahan off the hook without asking him about Cousins or Garoppolo. Much has been made about the trade negotiations the past couple of days, especially in light of an ESPN.com report that Cousins preferred San Francisco as his top destination.
The facts are becoming clear on Cousins: Washington isn’t going to be able to franchise tag him next offseason — unless they want to drop $35 million for one season — which means he’s going to hit the open market. If the Redskins are thinking realistically about their future, they have to consider a trade this offseason — certainly before the NFL Draft. If Cousins walks away for free in 2018, it might eventually cost GM Scot McCloughan his job.
So obviously — and what I wrote earlier in February — the 49ers should just wait until 2018 to pull off a major move at quarterback, right?
“That’s a very good point you just made,” Shanahan said to laughs. “All that comes into play. Yes, you have targets of people you want. But you have to be smart and value your initial needs to the organizational needs: The immediate future and the long haul. You’re always thinking of how to win now, but that can never be at the expense of the future.”
The last sentence is the money quote from Shanahan. PFT — which Shanahan says he reads — is reporting the Redskins would want RGIII-like compensation for Cousins, meaning multiple first round draft picks. There’s no way Shanahan and GM John Lynch are caving to that demand, and they may stop answering the phone calls and texts all together from McCloughan and Redskins front office string puller, Bruce Allen. Even with a pretty decent team intact, the Redskins are in such a vulnerable position. It sounds as if the 49ers are cool with letting them squirm.
It is fair to point out that Cousins is talented enough to lead the Redskins to a postseason win next January, which in all likelihood would force Washington’s hand and leave the 49ers square out of luck. As for Garoppolo, everything is quiet on that front — for now.
B) It would be shocking if Colin Kaepernick returned
The new 49ers regime has been respectful of Kaepernick the moment they walked into the building in Santa Clara. Shanahan reiterated they won’t fully close the door on Kap. But now that the first-time head coach has had a few weeks to digest Kaepernick on film, you can tell he’s drawn the same conclusion many of us have: Kaepernick is not a traditional pocket passer.
“What Kap did to go to the Super Bowl, I mean he ran a similar offense to what I did in 2012,” Shanahan said, alluding to the option game with Robert Griffin III. “I think that’s the type of stuff that gives him the best chance to be successful. But you adjust to anybody.”
The interesting counterpoint is that Shanahan’s Redskins actually won the NFC East in 2012 running a non-traditional offense. It would be risky to build that type of system for Deshaun Watson; it’s borderline inconceivable to try and recapture Kap’s magic from five seasons ago in a gimmicky system that NFL defenses eventually figured out.
Even worse for Kaepernick: Shanahan said at the podium he’s not going to weigh touchdown to interception ratio (16 TD to 4 INT for Kap last season), or really any statistics for that matter. He pulls up every single play on tape, and gives every single play a grade. When you remember how dreadful some of the 49ers’ second halves were last season under Chip Kelly, Kaepernick’s film is not that of a quarterback you can build around.
This was a telling quote from Shanahan, but it shouldn’t be all that surprising.
C) Shanahan has no qualms starting a rookie from Day 1
I was curious about this and asked Shanahan whether a young quarterback could grasp his traditional offense — not the bridge he built Griffin in 2012.
“I mean, yeah,” Shanahan said. “We changed stuff for Robert that year but not as drastically as people think. Anybody is capable. When you say ‘our offense’ it’s changing. It depends on who the players are. And if there was a rookie quarterback there and we felt he gave us the best chance to win, then our offense will be what that rookie quarterback needs it to be, in order to give himself a chance to play.”
Interestingly, Shanahan said he won’t make the rookie quarterback prospects break down their own tape here in Indianapolis. He’s trying to get a feel for their personality first, and then will do such things in an individual workout.
Stay tuned. John Lynch will be speaking tomorrow.