INDIANAPOLIS — Now that we’ve come to realize the Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo sweepstakes will likely extend into the 2018 offseason, a source familiar with the 49ers’ new regime tells KNBR.com the team is still concentrating on adding a veteran quarterback.
A pair of backups, with untapped potential, are emerging as realistic secondary options for Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
Wednesday at the NFL Combine, the Bengals did not rule out trading backup quarterback A.J. McCarron. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s Mike Glennon, who is scheduled to hit free agency next week, is a juicy name in the talkative hallways of the Indianapolis convention center.
Are either a long term answer at quarterback? Probably not. But as long as the price is right, Lynch and Shanahan very well could roll the dice to find out their respective ceilings in 2017. Outside of starting a rookie quarterback, it’s one of few viable options left.
McCarron would likely cost a third-round pick — at the least — which will require intense negotiations with a notoriously stingy Bengals franchise. The 26-year-old might end up being worth the draft choice if Shanahan grades his game tape higher than any of the rookie options. The 49ers should still take a rookie quarterback in this scenario, but maybe it’s later on in the draft on someone such as Cal’s Davis Webb. Remember, Shanahan helped draft Kirk Cousins in the fourth round of 2012, even with Robert Griffin III already in hand.
A fifth-round pick in 2014, McCarron was drafted as a developmental project and he’s shown signs that he’s done just that — develop. His small sample size comes solely from the 2015 season when starter Andy Dalton was injured, but he threw six touchdowns, two interceptions, completed 66.4 percent of his passes in four regular season games before playing admirably in a first round playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The phones in our offices work,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told reporters on Wednesday, before clarifying that Cincinnati has “values him a lot.”
McCarron believes in himself, which is a trait Lynch seems to appreciate in players, especially quarterbacks. In his exit interview with Cincinnati media in January, McCarron hugged fellow teammates just in case it was good bye.
“You want to play as a competitor,” McCarron told Cincinnati.com. “I’ll let my agent handle everything and go with whatever he says.”
Glennon, and how quickly he gets gobbled up in free agency, is the other evident player to watch. If we’re talking sample sizes, the only other free agent quarterback with more starting experience is Cousins. The towering 6-foot-6 gunslinger started 13 games his rookie season for the Buccaneers, posting 19 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. A 4-9 record in games he started can’t all be pinned on him. The 59.4 completion percentage is an issue, but Glennon was under siege behind a pitiful offensive line.
Some argue that Glennon had a better rookie season than Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz. Tampa Bay idiotically stunted his growth by not only adding Josh McCown to the roster, but starting him Week 1. The resignation of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford right before the season resulted in a crippling 2-14 campaign. Jameis Winston arrived the following season and Glennon’s thrown just 11 passes since 2015.
In December, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported Glennon could fetch anywhere between $13-$15 million annually or potentially more, depending on the amount of bidders. While the price seems a little high for a guy who hasn’t played since 2013, this is pretty much a standard rate for an average quarterback these days. From a base salary standpoint, it’s roughly what Colin Kaepernick has been paid the last few seasons. The 49ers have the money to outbid other teams.
For the several of you who were outraged about my Cousins trade proposal from Tuesday — swapping first rounders and sending a second and 2018 third to the Redskins — this is now your option. There’s still Brian Hoyer and Matt Schuab
McCarron and Glennon don’t have the arm talent of Jay Cutler, nor the star power of Tony Romo. They don’t have the athletic ability of Tyrod Taylor, who is rumored to be on the chopping block in Buffalo because of his contract.
They won’t come in with much hype or expectations, but McCarron and Glennon are both are coachable and, depending on the price, worth the 49ers looking into as a starter for 2017.