© Kirby Lee | 2020 Nov 29
Kyle Shanahan is an offensive genius, but is the potential of the 49ers’ offense being stifled by Jimmy Garoppolo? That’s the take de jour from many looking at this disappointing Niners season, pointing to Jimmy G’s questionable performances during this season and the 2019 playoffs. The question then becomes who is the best possible option to replace Garoppolo this offseason, considering they can cut bait with a penalty of just around $3 million.
According to former quarterback and current NFL analyst David Carr, Lions’ QB Matt Stafford would make the 49ers’ offense as potent as the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes run outfit in Kansas City.
“John Lynch and [Kyle] Shanahan have proven to be very aggressive with personnel moves in the past, so I could see them making a big move for the right player,” Carr wrote Tuesday. “Sam Darnold or Carson Wentz would thrive under Shanahan, but the one player the offensive guru should have his eye on is Matthew Stafford.
“There’s been talk of Stafford and the [Detroit] Lions parting ways this coming offseason, and I can’t think of a better option than to put Stafford on a team that has a legitimate chance to get back to the Super Bowl [if healthy]. The product Shanahan and Stafford would put on the field would rival that of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, and it would be glorious.”
Imagining Stafford as the 49ers’ QB is all well and good, but acquiring him wouldn’t necessarily be all that easy. First off, Stafford has a cap hit of $34 million next season and nearly $28 million in 2022. That’s more than the $26.4 million and $27 million that Garoppolo is owed in the next two seasons, and would likely hinder the 49ers’ ability to re-sign a few of their many upcoming free agents that includes Trent Williams and nearly the entire secondary.
It all depends on what the Lions want in return and how much the 49ers value a quarterback nearing the end of his prime. Stafford’s arm talent is fairly undeniable, and he’s still putting up numbers (261.5 yards per game, 18 touchdowns to 8 picks, 92.7 rating) on a very questionable Lions team.
Sure the 49ers as currently constructed with Stafford could be Super Bowl hopefuls, but would what they lose in bringing on Stafford keep them in that conversation?