Following a season of inconsistent and mostly poor quarterback play, Niners fans have developed some intense desire for free agent quarterbacks, which in turn caused a rift on 49ers Twitter between those who fear missing out on a quality free agent quarterback and those who aren't quite ready to discard Jimmy Garoppolo with reckless abandon.
But after the dopamine surge that accompanies the novelty of a new quarterback wears off, the Los Angeles Rams will find themselves sobered by an uncertain future and the pressure to win a Super Bowl immediately.
After trading their 2020 and 2021 first-round picks and a 2021 fourth-round pick for Jalen Ramsey in 2019, Los Angeles gave up another two first-round picks, a third, and Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford.
Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021
Sean McVay now has a very tight window in which to fit a title run and is doing so at the cost of a heavily mortgaged future. While he may not have given up as much as Mike Ditka did to get Ricky Williams, McVay has come pretty close by going all in on Stafford.
Stafford has been a durable, consistent quarterback with nice arm strength, but is he worth mortgaging the future of the franchise?
Stafford was 14th in defense-adjusted yards above replacement and 16th in total quarterback rating, finishing 2020 with 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 65.2 completion percentage. Damn right the Niners would have taken those numbers this year or any, but are they worth all that was given up?
Stafford played in three playoff games and did not win any of them, has taken a lot of damage over his 12-year career, and will turn 33 this February.
They say, "scared money don't make money" and "no risk it no biscuit," but the Rams are not guaranteed anything with Stafford as their quarterback and may precipitously fall off a cliff if they do not win a Super Bowl in 2021 or 2022.
Would it have been exciting for the Niners to have a new, solid quarterback the week before the Super Bowl? Sure. But setting aside the emotions, the San Francisco 49ers are likely better served by drafting and developing their future franchise quarterback than by overpaying, and may have dodged a bullet in not trading for Matthew Stafford.