It wouldn't be a 49ers offseason without the quarterback rumors.
With veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo likely being traded this offseason, the 49ers are expected to turn the reigns over to 21-year-old Trey Lance ... unless maybe a four-time NFL MVP wants to join his hometown team?
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes that if Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers wants to be traded this offseason, the 49ers -- his hometown team -- make the most sense.
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SIGN UP HERE "I'm going to tell you the number one reason he should go ... Kyle Shanahan," Smith said Friday on First Take. "That's the number one reason he should go. Kyle Shanahan is something special. Now I'm a bit hesitant about him in the fourth quarter of Super Bowls, but that's it. Everywhere else, I gotta love what I'm seeing from Kyle Shanahan. I think Kyle Shanahan has proven to be one of the best coaches in football, to be quite honest with you, one of the best offensive play-callers.
"When I think about Deebo Samuel, an absolute stud when I think about George Kittle one of the top-two, three tight ends in all of football. Davante Adams is that guy, I get all of that and I'm not trying to say that Green Bay doesn't have a good situation, but we know their history and sometimes you need a new setting, sometimes you need some new flavor, sometimes that new flavor is old flavor."
Rodgers, a Chico native who went to Cal Berkeley, famously was passed up by San Francisco in the 2005 NFL Draft. If he does want to close out his career with the team he grew up rooting for, Stephen A. believes the 49ers are an enticing destination.
"You went to Cal, you come back, you go back to the Bay Area, you go back to familiar surroundings, you're a 45-minute flight from Southern California on off days," Smith added. "You good. Not only that but their defense. [Nick] Bosa and them, they get to the quarterback. They were in the NFC Championship Game with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback. If I'm Aaron Rodgers, I give this strong strong consideration, without question."
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After losing four straight games to San Francisco in the playoffs, most recently the 2021 NFC Divisional Round Game at Lambeau Field, what better way to get the monkey off your back than to join forces.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.