The 49ers are set at quarterback for the foreseeable future. It’s arguably the one position they don’t need to improve. However, the quarterback position might wind up having a dramatic influence on their fortunes in this year’s draft.
Three quarterback-related things happened Wednesday that could impact San Francisco in this year’s draft when we read between the lines. So let’s speculate!
First, Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim used an interesting qualifier when discussing his team’s quarterback situation.
They selected Rosen with the No. 10 overall pick in last year’s draft. He had an underwhelming rookie campaign on a rebuilding Arizona club. Then the Cardinals hired former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who said last season that he’d pick Kyler Murray No. 1 overall in the draft.
He recanted that statement, but it makes Keim’s use of “he is right now” when describing Rosen’s status as their quarterback much more interesting.
It’s not totally outrageous to imagine a scenario where Kingsbury wants Murray to run his offense, and ships Rosen out in a trade to take Murray first overall. That would certainly be a shocking scenario, but it isn’t totally outlandish when considering all the factors in play.
Murray going first opens the door wide open for the 49ers to improve their edge rush with the best player available at the No. 2 overall pick.
More quarterback news dropped later Wednesday morning when Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman notified media that they wouldn’t use a franchise tag on former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
Foles is sure to become a coveted free agent, and the top signal caller available on the market. He turned 30 in January and has seven seasons of varying success under his belt. His peak came last season when he guided the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl LII.
There’s a very realistic chance that one of the quarterback-needy teams picking in the top 10 in the draft shells out the money to ink Foles. That would eliminate one team from the mix to draft a quarterback, thus adversely impacting any potential willingness for teams to trade up to No. 2 to snag a quarterback.
Fewer teams means fewer opportunity for trades. If the 49ers do execute a move back from No. 2, it’ll likely be with a team hunting for their franchise signal caller. Foles signing with one of those clubs would limit some of San Francisco’s options.
Finally, Raiders general manager Mike Mayock also offered a qualifier when talking about the team’s future at quarterback. He called Derek Carr a franchise player at the position, but didn’t rule out finding a better option.
“I think Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback. I truly believe that,” Mayock said according to Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “Now, do I also believe it’s a general manager’s and head coach’s job to keep your eyes open to improve any position on the football team? Sure. But I think it’s really difficult to try to improve over a franchise quarterback like the one we have in our building.”
Perhaps this is a genuine vote of confidence and the Raiders plan on having Carr under center for the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, he struggled to get the ball down field last season and raised questions about his future despite having one of his best statistical seasons.
The Raiders owe Carr $19.9 million this year, but they can get out from under his five-year $125 million deal next year for relatively cheap. Mayock saiid it’s “really difficult” to improve at quarterback, but he didn’t say they wouldn’t.
His comments leave open the possibility that they evaluate this year’s quarterback class and find a player they deem to be their quarterback of the future. They have three first-round picks, including the No. 4 selection. Suppose they fall in love with Murray, or Dwayne Haskins, or another quarterback in this year’s class. Would they suddenly become players to try and move up from No. 4 to ensure they get the player they believe is better than Carr? There’s also the possibility another team tries to leap over the Raiders if they think Oakland is eyeing a quarterback.
Mayock’s comments might actually be a show of support for Carr, but it leaves the door open for a change at quarterback. That could wind up making the 49ers’ No. 2 pick very enticing.
All of this is pure speculation, and a deep dive in between the lines of what might be totally benign comments. Still, they’re open to interpretation until moves are made on draft day. San Francisco can’t be closed to any ideas for rebuilding their team, and if things get chaotic over quarterbacks at the top of the draft, the 49ers might wind up reaping the benefits.
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