Should the 49ers Trade for Jaguars Quarterback Gardner Minshew II?

"Minshew Mania" anyone?

The 49ers are once again involved in quarterback trade rumors.

This time it is for Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II, who reportedly "could be in their (49ers) plans via trade," according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Minshew being tied to the 49ers is assuredly for the backup quarterback position. Or at least, that is what it is initially. With C.J. Beathard officially signing with the Jaguars, it is only a matter of time before Minshew gets shipped off.

In 2019, Minshew was electric, hence why he earned the name "Minshew Mania". 2020, however, is a different story. It became clear that the power that drove his electricity went out. Now he looks like a strong option as a backup quarterback.

So should the 49ers trade for Minshew?

It really doesn't matter. It is actually quite hysterical that the 49ers have this constant discussion regarding the backup quarterback. That is indicative of the starting quarterback because Jimmy Garoppolo cannot stay healthy.

Having an adequate backup is sweet for about two to three games. Once it exceeds that, a team really has no shot at contending. And the unfortunate reality for the 49ers is that Garoppolo doesn't miss just a few games. It is usually a third of the season, if not longer.

This constant emphasis of the backup quarterback with the 49ers is quite pathetic. No other Super Bowl contending team is having this discussion. If a team is without their starting quarterback for the long-term, then it is over for them. And no, Nick Foles is not a valid argument since he was an outlier.

If the 49ers trade for Minshew or not, it really doesn't matter. He most likely could be had for dirt cheap. His salary cap hits for the next two seasons are well under $1 million, so he's affordable.

At the end of the day, the 49ers are just postponing the hard decision they have to make with their own starting quarterback.