Kyle Shanahan: Brandon Aiyuk to IR, stands behind Jimmy Garoppolo for 2021 (sort of)

The rookie WR's season is over, and interesting comments from Kyle Shanahan, regarding Jimmy Garoppolo's future.

The San Francisco 49ers have some uncertainty with the quarterback position in 2021, the wide receiver position is the exact opposite.

The 49ers have beaten those pesky Arizona Cardinals on Sunday with the help of backup quarterback C.J. Beathard and an air-tight gameplan by Robert Saleh, but it wasn’t without its losses. Per 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s season has come to an end with the now (repetitive) high-ankle sprain. Yep, 2020’s injury of choice has claimed another victim.

Aiyuk finishes the 2020 season with 60 catches, 748 yards, and 5 TDs. Many were wondering if he’d come close to shattering Jerry Rice’s rookie numbers. Well, kinda sorta. In 1985 (his rookie season) Rice finished with fewer receptions (49) and touchdowns (3) but far more yards (927). Any way you slice it, it’s an impressive outing for a rookie. When you factor in the instability of the quarterback position for 2020, it’s even more impressive a rookie could turn in those kinds of numbers. Then of course there’s the entire situation of 2020 lingering that also makes it even more impressive. Whatever you want to say, any questions made about trading up for Aiyuk should be answered and any criticisms should be put to rest.

The 49ers have always had an iffy wide receiver group, but it seems like that won’t be the case heading into 2021. As it looks if the 49ers have Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Hurd, that’s a solid group right there. Say what you want about Bourne, he’s only continued to get better as time goes on. Richie James? Well, he dropped a pass that was right in the breadbasket Sunday. A pass that still makes me cringe. If anything, wide receiver is something the 49ers do not need.

Also in the press conference, Kyle Shanahan mentioned the quarterback position. Well, kind of. There were several questions from the media Monday on what the 49ers’ plans would be in the offseason with Jimmy Garoppolo and possibly trading for a rookie quarterback. Shanahan stands behind Garoppolo, but he was quick to point out if there was a way to help the team out, even Garoppolo is expendable. For those of you wondering if money and Garoppolo’s salary cap hit will play into it, Shanahan’s comments below sum it up nicely:

"Guys, you can't say anything with certainty. You don't sit here and make promises on anything. We build a football team. It's your job to put the best team together year in and year out. People talk about Jimmy's salary. Jimmy is like one of the middle quarterbacks in the league right now in terms of salary. That's just how much they cost. So, it's not like it's something ridiculous or anything like that, so we can work all that out. Not to mention, look at Jimmy's record when he's been here. Jimmy, you can win with. He's proven that. He's proven he's a starting quarterback in this league. We had a couple of other guys who got opportunities this year who played like they have a chance at times to be starting quarterbacks, but they did play like backups overall. [QB] C.J. [Beathard] played like he had ability to be a starting quarterback two nights ago. He also did that in 2017 in a few games that we had with him. I remember him playing like that versus San Diego, but Jimmy, there's a reason his record is what it is and that's why we paid for him to be our starting quarterback. To think that that's ridiculous with where his contract is, this isn't like the first year. That's how much quarterbacks costs in this league and he's right there. I don't know the number, but I think it's somewhere between like 13th and 19th. So, that's nothing too big. That's how much they cost. Now, you look into every avenue and you see if there's something out there that can get you a ton better it's the same answer for every position. But look at Jimmy, look what he's done, look at where he's at with us financially and we better have a very good answer if you're going to find something better than that, because Jimmy's shown in one year that he's a guy who can take us to the Super Bowl and I also think Jimmy's going to get a lot better the more he plays."

The first thought was a good one from Akash Anavarathan:

Akash Anavarathan @akashanav

The #49ers didn't know what they were doing with George Kittle and DeForest Buckner till March and I'm supposed to believe that Kyle Shanahan knows what he's doing with the quarterback position in December?

I don’t exactly agree with it, but it’s a good point. This is the same stuff we’ve heard before from coaches, so I wouldn’t take it too far to say it’s hard support for Jimmy Garoppolo. I am going to point out the 49ers have a lot, A LOT of holes to fill and a small salary cap to do it. Trading up in the draft for say, a Zach Wilson, who I am in love with, sounds great, but that’s a lot of future being mortgaged for one guy. We’ve all seen what happens when the starters have gone down with the 49ers. If they can’t plug the holes they have, the team is going to have severe issues going forward.

Instead of getting Garoppolo replaced, the 49ers might be wise to get the offensive line figured out. Center is a position of need, as is a right guard. Assuming they get Trent Williams extended, spending a pick on those two could solidify the line. Yes, Laken Tomlinson isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done. Yes, Mike McGlinchey had his issues with pass blocking, but that has been blown a bit out of proportion (he’s not a bust…for Christ’s sakes stop saying that), but if a center and right guard came? I think a lot could get worked out.

We’ll have a lot of mock drafts and such to do as we enter the offseason, and we have one more game to go. The big takeaway here is Garoppolo might be back. Trading for a quarterback is an iffy scenario, but maybe Zach Wilson falls to the mid-first round? Maybe no one went to his birthday party (Draft Day reference)?