Everyone knows the 49ers' offseason will be centered around what they do at the quarterback position.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been solid when healthy, but he has struggled to stay on the field. When on the field, Garoppolo has had issues with turnovers and has a clear ceiling as an NFL starting quarterback. At 6-9, the 49ers likely won't have a high enough draft pick to select one of the top four quarterback prospects in the current class.
They could run it back with Garoppolo, knowing that when he is healthy he is capable of winning a lot of games with the right supporting cast. But if they elect to move on from Garoppolo, coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers might need to look at the new breed of NFL quarterback -- like Josh Allen, Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert -- that are taking the league by storm.
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"Well, I think that's really where the game is going now," Jerry Rice told 95.7 The Game's "The Morning Roast" on Monday. "You're going to have to have quarterbacks that are mobile to get outside the pocket and extend plays. You look at Russell Wilson, Josh Allen and all of these quarterbacks -- Lamar Jackson and these guys. They are able to extend plays and I think with defensive coordinators now that's another phase of the game with the direction quarterbacks are going now, that they are going to have to address. Being able to extend plays, being outside the pocket and I think Russell Wilson, he's one of the best when it comes to that. You look at Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers and all of these quarterbacks. They are able to get outside the pocket, keep their eyes downfield and deliver the football."
The 49ers have seen firsthand what mobile quarterbacks like Wilson, Allen and Murray can do to a defense. Shanahan, who has always been partial to pocket-passers, admitted he was open to the idea of a mobile quarterback, but does expect Garoppolo to return in 2021.
RELATED: Schrock's takeaways: 49ers' biggest decision won't be at QB
The 49ers have sent scouts to look at BYU's Zach Wilson, but his meteoric rise up draft boards likely has him out of the 49ers' range.
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San Francisco could elect to try and move up in the draft to snag Wilson or Ohio State's Justin Fields, but that would cost a lot of draft capital, something the 49ers are trying to replenish.
There's no doubt the NFL is going the way of the dual-threat quarterback. But whether or not the 49ers get with the times is completely up to Shanahan.