Are the 49ers in the market for a quarterback?
Believe it or not, the 49ers want a quarterback.
They’ve met with North Texas quarterback Mason Fine, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Fine most likely will be an undrafted free agent. This news comes two weeks after the 49ers turned down multiple trade offers for former undrafted free agent quarterback Nick Mullens, according to The Athletic's Michael Lombardi.
Could these two reports be related?
Yes, they could.
Mullens most likely is a future starting quarterback in the NFL. In 2018, his rookie season, he started eight games and posted a quarterback rating of 90.8. He outperformed Teddy Bridgewater, who posted a 70.6 rating in one start with the Saints in 2018.
But in 2019, Bridgewater started five games for the Saints, and his quarterback rating was 99.8. Meanwhile, Mullens didn’t start any games, because Jimmy Garoppolo stayed healthy.
Now, Bridgewater is the starting quarterback for the Panthers -- they gave him a three-year, $63-million contract this offseason. And Mullens remains a backup.
Mullens will be a restricted free agent in 2021, and an unrestricted free agent in 2022. The 49ers surely don’t want to let him leave and receive nothing in return. Trading him makes sense, because he is a valuable commodity.
Maybe the 49ers didn’t like the trade offers they received for Mullens this offseason. Maybe the 49ers will try to trade Mullens during the preseason or the regular season if some other team’s quarterback gets injured. Or maybe the 49ers will try to trade Mullens next offseason.
If the plan indeed is to trade Mullens, the 49ers will need a quarterback to replace him as the backup. Perhaps another undrafted free agent who could develop on the practice squad.
Fine fits the bill. He and Mullens are similar. Both are small quarterbacks (Mullens is 6’1”, Fine is 5’11”), and neither has a big, strong arm. But both started four years in Conference USA, and both were prolific passers. Mullens threw 1,546 passes and 87 touchdowns in college, while Fine threw 1,655 passes and 93 touchdowns.
Fine could be the next Mullens. If that’s the case, the 49ers would be the perfect team to take him.
