Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers dodge bullet by not trading for Matthew Stafford
Jan 31, 2021 at 1:54 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
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.
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.
Poll
- Do you think the 49ers should have traded for Matthew Stafford?
No
Yes
- 3,458 votes
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.
More San Francisco 49ers News
George Kittle: 49ers not overlooking Rams despite recent dominance
The San Francisco 49ers are looking to win their ninth consecutive regular-season contest against the Los Angeles Rams, a streak that dates back to the 2019 season. The Niners beat their NFC West rivals by a combined score of 55-23 in the two games last season.
That second contest was Christian McCaffrey's first start with the 49ers. The running back had himself a day, rushing for a touchdown, catching a touchdown, and even throwing a touchdown to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, showing his new teammates and The Faithful that he can do it
Analyst: 49ers QB Brock Purdy still not top-20 after Week 1
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Sep 15
It's safe to say that the San Francisco 49ers cruised to victory in Week 1, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7 in a dominant victory where the team started the game with four consecutive scoring drives and five straight three-and-outs, creating an early 20-0 lead for the road team.
Offensively, the 49ers saw strong performances from running back Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who caught all eight of his targets for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and Deebo Samuel, who caught five passes for 55 yards.
But, the offense was executed at a very high level, at least in the first half, courtesy of quarterback Brock Purdy, who had one of the stronger halves of his career over the first 30 minutes in
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk not expected to play vs. Giants, per report
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is not expected to suit up for tonight's game against the New York Giants. On Wednesday, the team listed the star wideout as "questionable" due to a shoulder injury.
49ers' WR Brandon Aiyuk, listed as questionable for tonight's game due to a shoulder injury, is not expected to play vs. the Giants, per league source.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 21,
Florio: 49ers' Brock Purdy not a franchise QB because of his "weird" name
By Rohan Chakravarthi
19 hrs
The San Francisco 49ers are cruising through the beginning of the regular season, winning each of their first three games, with a home bout against the 0-2 Arizona Cardinals next on the docket.
In his return from a torn UCL sustained in last year's NFC Championship Game, quarterback Brock Purdy has picked up right where he left off, continuing his streak of remaining unbeaten in games he's started and finished, which has increased to eight in a row.
The success from 2022 has cemented Purdy as the franchise quarterback, as the 49ers traded away former franchise option Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys, but some aren't as confident in the 2022 seventh-round pick.
Amongst them is Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who shared a unique reason for not
