Kyle Shanahan seems ready for draft season to end.
The 49ers head coach took a dark turn when discussing San Francisco’s draft plans on Monday, noting he “can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive,” following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL draft on Sunday.
Shanahan’s strange comment didn’t come completely unprompted. His answer came following a question regarding Jimmy Garoppolo’s role as San Francisco’s starting quarterback, which could come to a conclusion in the coming weeks. The 49ers have the No. 3 pick in the draft following a trade with the Dolphins, and San Francisco is expected to select either Alabama QB Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
Shanahan expounded on his plans for Garoppolo, noting the incumbent starter could serve as a valuable mentor and interim starter in 2021 before San Francisco’s rookie is ready to take the field.
“I feel very fortunate taking a rookie quarterback that we do have a guy like [Garoppolo],” Shanahan said. “When you take a rookie quarterback and you take a veteran like Jimmy who we know we can win with, just to move on from that is something that’s not easy to do.”
The 49ers acquired Garoppolo in a trade with the Patriots in 2017. Garoppolo went 13–3 as a starter in 2019 as the 49ers reached Super Bowl LIV, but he’s played in a combined 14 games in his other three seasons with San Francisco.
Who Shanahan will take to replace Garoppolo at No. 3 remains an open question. But regardless of who the 49ers select, perhaps it would smart of Shanahan to take a quick vacation before he begins to prep for the 2021 season.
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