National Football League

Kyle Shanahan hints interest at Cousins, Garoppolo for 49ers QB

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:42 p.m. ET

Fansided, Douglas Totten/FanSided via Niner Noise

The San Francisco 49ers are in desperate need of a quarterback for the 2017 season. With few options in the draft, the 49ers may look to acquire a signal caller via trade or free agency. If they do, presumptive new head coach Kyle Shanahan is fond of at least two options: Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo.

The San Francisco 49ers have a plethora of needs on both sides of the ball. Hence, the new general manager and head coach duo of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan will not have trouble filling need through the draft and free agency. Just about any pickup would help.

There is one position in football, however, that maintains supreme importance and can make or break a team: quarterback. San Francisco, well, does not have anything near good in that department. Colin Kaepernick is expected to opt out of his contract — which, honestly, could be a good thing for the Niners as he simply is not very good. Blaine Gabbert also appears on his way out as his contract expired at the end of the season. Ditto Christian Ponder.

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The 49ers have gone from sub-par quarterbacks to no quarterbacks at all.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, they “earned” the second overall pick in a year without solid draft prospects.

DeShaun Watson led his team to a national title, but will his skill translate to the NFL? Mitch Trubisky is the hot name, but is his one year of tape enough to prove he is legit? DeShone Kizer may be the most pro-ready quarterback, but if he can’t win at Notre Dame, can he win in the pros?

No one is a sure thing, so the 49ers may need to look elsewhere. Kyle Shanahan may have some ideas in mind.

When asked about two prospective targets, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins, Shanahan was more than complementary. Shanahan scouted Garoppolo while working for the Browns and liked what he saw, though the QB ended up as Brady’s backup in New England. Shanahan worked with Cousins in Washington during his time there, and a reunion for the two is not out of the question.

The 49ers would have to trade for Garoppolo, and would likely need to offer up a high draft pick for Cousins if the Redskins place the Franchise Tag on him for the second year in a row. That is a tall order for a good quarterback, so San Francisco may be reluctant to give up that sort of compensation. Garoppolo, then, may be the more likely target.

If Shanahan and Lynch make the right call on their QB of the future, whoever that may be, their careers could be legendary in Niners lore. If not, they could follow in the footsteps of so many 49ers coaches in the past fifteen years into mediocrity.