Three reasons a Gardner Minshew trade to 49ers makes sense

49ers general manager John Lynch has done well to retain most of the team's core free agents despite a less than stellar cap situation heading into last week.

Right now, the 49ers are an estimated $15 million under the cap after re-signing cornerback K’Waun Williams. With that said, they have pushed back against spending money on a backup quarterback behind Garoppolo. Flacco’s one-year, $4 million deal with Philadelphia adds to that belief.

As for Minshew, he’s a former late-round pick and remains under his rookie contract. That means any team acquiring the 24-year-old signal caller would face a combined $1.9 million cap hit over the next two seasons. For a 49ers team that needs money to find depth elsewhere, that’s an extremely valuable aspect to a potential trade.

He’s the best remaining quarterback the 49ers could target

San Francisco was previously linked to former New York Jets No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold. It made some sense. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was enamored with the USC product leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft. However, that came mere months after the 49ers traded for Garoppolo during the 2017 season. Darnold was not an option.

It doesn’t appear he’s an option right now. The Jets have yet to decide whether to trade Darnold and go with Zach Wilson at No. 2 in the 2021 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, any team acquiring the struggling quarterback would face a spring deadline to pick up what would be a $25 million option on Darnold’s contract for the 2022 season. Given his performance, that makes no sense.

As for Watson, San Francisco is one of a number of teams still interested in the reigning NFL passing champion. However, recent allegations from over a dozen women of sexual assault in civil suits change the dynamics here. Simply put, it’s hard to envision any team dealing for Watson until that situation is resolved. That means Minshew might be the 49ers’ best option.

Past success from Minshew and Garoppolo injury issues

It’s fine to question Minshew’s raw talent. There’s a reason he was the 178th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. There’s also a reason Jacksonville is moving off him for Lawrence.

That’s all fine and dandy, but the tape and his stats tell us a story of someone who could, at the very least, be a top-end backup in the NFL. Minshew accounted for north of 6,000 total yards with 38 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 20 starts over a two-year span with Jacksonville. Can we possibly ignore those eye-opening numbers, especially given the lack of talent in Duval?

At the very least, Minshew is a better option than the recently departed Beathard and an injured Nick Mullens. Heck, he has more of a proven track record in the NFL than a more heralded former prospect in Josh Rosen. With Garoppolo having missed 23 of a possible 48 games over the past three seasons, adding Minshew to the mix would give San Francisco a ton of insurance on the cheap.