For fans who are tired of hearing Tom Brady's name mentioned daily, Albert Breer of The MMQB introduced another name into the mix this week when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation. Of course, it is a name that has already been much-discussed in the past while talking about head coach Kyle Shanahan and the Niners.
The senior reporter sparked some discussion on Monday with his most recent column by speculating that, should the 49ers be interested in Brady, the team might still see Kirk Cousins as a potential option down the road when Brady is done playing.
Breer also wrote that the potential situation with Cousins' contract puts Jimmy Garoppolo "on the clock," regardless of what happens with Brady.
"What becomes of it, I don't know," Breer wrote. "But I do know there's been perception in league circles that Jimmy Garoppolo is on the clock, because Kirk Cousins is a free agent in 2021."
Breer joined 95.7 The Game on Tuesday to clarify that he doesn't believe that Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are actively looking for an out on Garoppolo. However, the reporter notes that even after trading for Garoppolo, Cousins remained an option had things gone south.
Of course, Garoppolo won five straight games at the end of 2017, earned a big contract, and the rest is history. Breer says Shanahan remains enamored with Cousins, though.
"I think he believes, in the right situation, Kirk Cousins can be even more than he's already been as an NFL quarterback," Breer said on the "Joe, Lo and Dibs" show. "And so I think there's obviously a ton of people in the league that know that. So when I say there's a perception in league circles, it does exist. That option is going to be out there again for the Niners after the 2020 season.
"And so, in a certain way, because of the way that Garoppolo's contract is set up, you can look at it, and you can say to yourself there's going to be an option there to go to Kirk Cousins in March of 2021 if they feel like, at that point, he's a better option than Jimmy Garoppolo is."
Breer goes on to say that if he needed to win a game tomorrow, he would pick Brady over Garoppolo. But that view doesn't take other things, like the players' ages and the long-term goals for the team, into account.
"I sort of look at it like, would I take Tom Brady over Jimmy Garoppolo to win a game tomorrow? Yeah, I would," said Breer. "Would I take Tom Brady over Jimmy Garoppolo for the Niners, right now? That's a much, much more complicated question."
Breer acknowledges that any potential interest in a Brady-49ers union would most likely have come more from Brady's camp, as the 49ers are confident in Garoppolo right now. Still, when one of the greatest to ever play the game becomes an option, even at 42 years old, a discussion must take place.
"I think — I don't know — but I think that's where the Niners were at," Breer added.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Breer below.