San Francisco 49ers: Making Sense of the Jay Cutler Rumor

NFL: Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers /

The San Francisco 49ers have not yet forged their complete identity in the front office or on the coaching staff and still have QB questions.

John Lynch just took over command control for the organization. All expectations are that Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will join him as head coach once the Super Bowl is completed. Naturally the next logical step is for them to begin their search for a quarterback they both feel can help them win some football games.

One thing is for sure. It won’t be Colin Kaepernick. Word is the veteran plans to exercise the option in his contract to become a free agent this off-season. Rumors indicate the 49ers would love to make a run at Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins. However, it’s hard for anybody to believe the Washington Redskins would let him walk after the two seasons he’s had for them.

All signs indicate the 2017 draft class, while not lacking talent, doesn’t have any quarterbacks who are ready to start right away. So what to do? Some believe their best option is to seek out an experienced veteran. One name that came up certainly caused some heated debates on social media.

Will John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan make a play for Jay Cutler? https://t.co/DyazfGm6ms
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 1, 2017

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Jay Cutler has gone through a significant roller coaster run in Chicago with the Bears. He went 51-51 as a starter, getting them to the NFC championship in 2010 but failing to make the playoffs since. He’ll turn 34-years old this April. Though not over the hill just yet some wonder if there is any gas left in the tank. Even if there was, why should the 49ers be interested?

For starters the worst thing they could do is throw a rookie to the wolves given the current state of their offense. It makes much more sense to have somebody with experience under center. So why Cutler? Why not Mike Glennon, or Ryan Fitzpatrick, or Brian Hoyer? The easiest answer to that question rests with the man running the show in Shanahan himself.

Something that shouldn’t be forgotten is that Cutler, once upon a time was a Pro Bowl quarterback. Drafted in 2006, he was developed for three seasons by Kyle’s father Mike Shanahan in Denver. Their final year together Cutler threw for over 4,500 yards and 25 touchdowns. Given the success Kyle has had with Matt Ryan, Robert Griffin III and Matt Schaub this isn’t such a crazy idea. He understands the type of offense his father ran and how it was used to make Cutler a success.

This would ease the pressure on the team to seek out a young option right away and allow them to focus on the many other areas of the roster that need immediate attention. Areas like the offensive line and wide receivers for starters. Wait one more season when the depth chart is at least stabilized, then they can feel free to think about getting that next franchise guy. Cutler is far from perfect, but in terms of bridge quarterbacks there are worse options.

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