Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is among the many who were impressed by Nick Mullens' play on Sunday as the San Francisco 49ers routed the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mullens was 25-of-36 for 343 yards with a touchdown and a 108.9 passer rating as he filled in for injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mullens didn't look like a backup, though. The head coach of the 49ers' next opponent, Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles, went so far as to say that San Francisco is blessed to have what he feels are two starting quarterbacks.
Sunday was Mullens' ninth NFL start, and Young doesn't believe we've seen his best yet. The Hall of Famer was asked if Mullens could lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl if Garoppolo could not play.
"I would not say no," Young responded. "He'd have to go prove it to everybody, like everyone does. But I don't see a reason why not. From my perspective, what I've seen of Nick and what Kyle (Shanahan) does, I feel if that happened, I wouldn't say, 'Oh well, we're dead.' No, I would not say we're dead."
Young added that he feels Shanahan is comfortable with Mullens leading the team, and the coach didn't need to limit the offensive playbook for his backup quarterback. Mullens, after all, has been with the team since 2017 — when Shanahan arrived.
In April, a report stated the 49ers turned down multiple trade offers for Mullens, which shows how much he is valued. We don't know what those offers may have included, but there is no doubt that Shanahan and company are fond of Mullens and feel he could be vital to the team's success. That was evident against the Giants.
"I would want to go see it, but I don't believe he's got a ceiling that's obvious right now," Young added.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Young below.
