© Mark J. Rebilas | 2021 Jan 3
The 49ers have already checked off every need in free agency, except one. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan made it clear that backup quarterback would be a priority this offseason, considering Jimmy Garoppolo has missed 23 games over the last three seasons.
That market seems to have mostly dried up, however. For some unknown reason, the 49ers passed on Mitchell Trubisky who ended up signing a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Bills, and then elected not to sign Joe Flacco after rumors swirled that he was next on their list.
Despite that, an interesting possibility allegedly presented itself on Wednesday morning, after the Jaguars, and general manager Trent Baalke, reportedly signed free agent C.J. Beathard. With Beathard joining the Jags and Jacksonville almost guaranteed to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, rumors have surfaced that the 49ers are exploring a trade for Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew.
“The 49ers are up to something at quarterback,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “They had extensive talks with (Joe) Flacco, who hit it off with Kyle Shanahan during a visit last week before ultimately choosing Philly.
“Rumors persist that Jacksonville quarterback Gardner Minshew II could be in their plans via trade.”
Ian Rapoport also mentioned that he’s heard the 49ers could be in on Minshew, who the Shanahan and the 49ers staff worked with at the Senior Bowl in 2019. Minshew would cost just $850,000 this year, which is an excellent deal for a player with 20 career starts and a 93.1 quarterback rating.
