Could Nick Mullens be a threat to Jimmy Garoppolo as the 49ers starter?

We are just five days away from the San Francisco 49ers regular season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It is the first game towards vying for a playoff berth in a highly contested NFC. To say the pressure is heavy on the 49ers in 2019 would be a huge understatement. This is the season that the red and gold finally takes major strides. It all starts with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. There is no player or coach on the team who is facing more pressure than him.

Most of that derives from the loaded contract that the 49ers gave Garoppolo almost two years ago. Now he must prove his worth to the team that they didn't waste their time and resources extending him. They chose to make him the future with that contract, however the 49ers are not obligated to retain him past this season if he can't live up to the pressure. After this season, there is no more guaranteed money left on Garoppolo's deal per Over The Cap. They can easily let him go and try to find their quarterback again.

Because Garoppolo isn't a lock for next season, could Nick Mullens be a threat to him as the 49ers starter? If Garoppolo is playing poorly over a slew of games, then Shanahan will certainly start to consider rolling out Nick Mullens. If that happens, then we can probably say our goodbyes to Garoppolo being a San Francisco 49er next season. Shanahan will be better off playing Mullens the rest of the way to aid his development since his name would be up for consideration as a starter in 2020. That's only if Garoppolo doesn't pan out and plays poorly over the course of the season.

Mike Silver of NFL network appeared this morning on bay area radio station 95.7 The Game and was asked which quarterback in the bay area faces the most pressure this season. "I think Jimmy G has more pressure over the next few months because Nick Mullens is sitting there and I believe that it's a very, very viable alternative. They (The 49ers) won't say that publicly, but that's what I believe." Silver's response is not a farfetched idea.

In fact, it is a very realistic scenario this season. Kyle Shanahan is right next to Garoppolo in terms of pressure. He's not going to risk losing games because of Garoppolo if he feels that Mullens can manage the game well enough. Now I'm not saying Jimmy Garoppolo will be bad or anything like that. But we don't really know if he is the 49ers franchise quarterback, despite being paid like one. The 49ers rolled the dice on him with one year being burned due to an unfortunate injury.

2019 is the year we learn so much about Garoppolo and this entire 49ers team. Excuses will not be tolerated this season even if an influx of injuries occurs once again. It's why if Garoppolo plays poorly, especially if he is the reason they are losing games then Shanahan will definitely hand the reigns to Mullens. Shanahan believes in his system enough that he can roll out Mullens and still win. Who knows, if that ever happens he could pan out to be a solid starting quarterback. It's all on Jimmy Garoppolo at this point to prove he is true franchise quarterback.