Will the 49ers Sign Marcus Mariota?

Mariota would make a ton of sense for the 49ers. First, he's mobile, which means he would be a good fit backing up Trey Lance.

While the national pundits argue about which all-time great quarterback the 49ers should acquire -- Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady -- the 49ers reportedly are searching for a backup quarterback.

And the No. 1 backup quarterback on their list appears to be Marcus Mariota.

Mariota would make a ton of sense for the 49ers. First, he's mobile, which means he would be a good fit backing up Trey Lance. Mariota theoretically could run the same offense Lance runs if Lance were to get injured and miss games. Mariota is averaging 6 yards per carry for his career.

Mariota was the second pick in the 2016 draft, so he can relate to the pressure Lance feels. And Mariota has started 61 games and won 29 of them. So the 49ers probably could win a few games with him if Lance were to miss a month or so.

But there's a reason Mariota is seen as a backup at this point in his career and not a starting quarterback.

He's brittle. He gets injured too much. And the injuries have taken a toll on his athletic ability and confidence.

In that sense, he's a good option for the 49ers, because he's a high-level backup with starting experience who fits the new direction their offense is going. But Mariota is injury prone, and the 49ers have had awful luck signing injury-prone veterans to significant contracts with guaranteed money. I don't know if it's the water in Santa Clara, the training staff or bad luck, but the 49ers have an abysmal track record trying to rehabilitate broken down veterans from other teams.

The 49ers should stay away from Mariota and find someone durable.