| Adam Schefter |
| @AdamSchefter |
| KOLO8 |
| @KOLO8 |
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16. Marco Luciano, SS (ETA: 2023)
23. Joey Bart, C (ETA: 2021)
82. Heliot Ramos, OF (ETA: 2021)
83. Hunter Bishop, OF (ETA: 2023)
The Giants have their strongest group of position prospects in years, with a superstar-in-the-making in the slugging Luciano, a potential All-Star catcher in Bart and a pair of multi-tooled outfielders in Ramos and Bishop. Left-hander Seth Corry, their best pitching prospect, barely missed the Top 100.
New team’s cap hits if traded
• 2021: $10.5 million
• 2022: $35 million
• 2023: $37 million
• 2024: $32 million
• 2025: $32 million
STAFFORD:
New team’s cap hits if traded
• 2021: $20 million
• 2022: $23 million
JIMMY IF HE STAYS:
49ers cap hits
• 2021: $26.9 million
— $24.1 million base salary
— $1.4 million prorated bonus
— $800,000 in per-game roster bonus money
— $600,000 workout bonus
• 2022: $27 million
One question requires immediate attention. Would quarterbacks such as Watson and Stafford represent significant enough upgrades from incumbent 49ers starter Jimmy Garoppolo to justify the acquisition costs? Five coaches and evaluators from around the league answered that question for this analysis, raising a couple of counterpoints to the prevailing narratives. We supplement their input with statistical analysis to set the table for an offseason that could be pivotal for coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
The 25-year-old Watson would count as the ultimate prize, a star on the rise who could command a bounty in return. Stafford, who turns 33 on Super Bowl Sunday, is the more practical option, an established volume passer who hasn’t won in Detroit, to some degree because the Lions have not supported him with a baseline level of resources. Consolation prizes could include quarterbacks from Shanahan’s past, including 35-year-old former MVP Matt Ryan, whose name arose a couple times in our conversations with league insiders.
ONE EVALUATOR THINKS WATSON ISN’T A GREAT FIT FOR SHANAHAN’S OFFENSE ( I DISAGREE)
Another insider picked up on the theme that Watson perhaps wouldn’t be a terrific scheme fit for Shanahan’s offense. The 49ers evaluated Watson heavily in the 2017 draft, working him out and hosting him for a draft visit. However, they decided on a defensive lineman, Solomon Thomas, with their top pick that year and waited until the third round for a quarterback, C.J. Beathard. Shanahan runs an offense that values quarterback movement within structure. He has not in the past coveted quarterbacks with Watson’s running ability or off-schedule capabilities.
“Watson would not be as good in that offense as you might think on the surface,” a veteran offensive coach said. “Even though you talk about the wide zone and boots that you think would be good for him, I think he’s better in a spread-type offense. He is at his best when he is moving or scrambling or making a play and he throws the ball well from that framework.”
STAFFORD AGAINST:
They’ve been shitty on defense the last three years and that’s part of the problem,” the head coach said, “but if I’m the 49ers and unless I’m totally spooked by Garoppolo’s ability to stay healthy, I don’t know why they would do it to be honest with you. I mean, when Garoppolo’s played, what the hell is their record?”
The record is 22-8 in the regular season and 24-9 overall.
“OK, that translates to 12-4,” the head coach said. “I think they’d take that every year, wouldn’t you?”
STAFFORD FOR:
Stafford is one of the better throwers and is freaky on some of these throws, like Aaron Rodgers,” the offensive coach said. “The accuracy and where he puts them, he would be good in that offense. He throws a great fade. The sideline ball, especially where you really have to put some juice on it and it’s a 40-yard throw, he makes a great throw. And he excels on crossers, especially the ones where the receivers are gaining depth and the quarterback has to put it over one guy and short of another guy. I just don’t think Garoppolo makes those throws consistently.”
“What Shanahan’s running now is not what he wants to run,” a long-time evaluator said. “He has to adjust the passing game to the intermediate-to-short game. He has to run the ball well. He has to. You don’t want to be that head coach, especially an offensive-minded head coach. You want to be able to let it rip.”
Garoppolo has missed or failed to finish 27 of 51 games since signing a five-year contract extension in early 2018. Stafford once had a stretch of 136 consecutive starts, but he has been roughed up over his career and in 2019 missed eight games with a back injury. He played hurt last season and was able to start all 16 games.
“I liked the fact he was a tough guy,” the long-time evaluator said. “He proved that out. But is that why he keeps getting hurt? Because it sounds like he’ll play with the injuries, but something’s always wrong with him. And I know he’s not being dramatic. That’s not him. Because he plays with (the injuries).”
Matt Ryan: A possible consolation prize?
Several insiders also raised, without prompting, the possibility of Shanahan adding someone who has worked with him in the past. Trading Ryan would require some salary-cap machinations for the Falcons to pull it off, but the MVP season he produced playing for Shanahan in 2016 makes him a natural consideration if Atlanta does make a move. The Falcons hold the fourth overall choice in the draft and could select a quarterback.
“Both Stafford and Ryan would be better than Garoppolo and I would not be surprised if those were the two they targeted,” the offensive coach said.
The 49ers have gradually become less pass-oriented with Garoppolo in the lineup, a potential indication Shanahan feels less comfortable putting the ball in his quarterback’s hands. When Shanahan was with Ryan in Atlanta, the Falcons passed the ball 55 percent of the time on early downs in the first 28 minutes of games, before time remaining and score differential influence play-calling tendencies more acutely. The rate with Garoppolo in the lineup peaked at 55 percent in 2018 before falling to 51 percent in 2019 and 44 percent this past season. Reasons beyond the quarterback could be at play, but in general, offensive coaches tend to pass more when they feel better about their quarterbacks. Garoppolo’s diminished health this past season certainly could have affected Shanahan’s game plans.
“Just his down-the-field throws, wildly inaccurate,” a veteran coach said during the season. “You can attribute that to his ankle because he can’t plant and throw, but their whole offense, the shots, the big shots down the field, has been completely crippled when he has played. He has missed them or taken sacks.”
I think they’re going to get Matt Ryan,” the long-time talent evaluator said. “Shanahan’s already got his hands all over him. They have a good relationship because he was the OC, so he knows exactly what he’s getting there, unlike Stafford. I like him, too, but there’s a common relationship between Matt Ryan and Shanahan.”
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RAIDERS WILL BE MOST EXPENSIVE GAME TO ATTEND NEXT SEASON, 49ERS SECOND....
NFL:
MOST PRODUCTIVE ROOKIE CLASSES:
10. San Francisco 49ers
Why they're ranked here: Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25 overall) was the saving grace of San Francisco's 2020 rookie class. He and interior defender Javon Kinlaw (No. 14 overall) were the only rookies on the roster with 300-plus snaps. Aiyuk was one of the five most valuable rookies of the entire 2020 NFL draft class and was among the 25 most valuable wide receivers in the NFL this season, per PFF WAR.
How their top pick fared: : Kinlaw came to the NFL with all the requisite physical tools but lacked pass-rush polish. Through Year 1, it's clear he still has some work to do in that regard. Kinlaw finished with a 58.0 pass-rush grade for the season that ranked 86th of 111 qualifying interior defensive linemen. He offered very little in run support, as well, with a 46.9 grade in that facet (95th).
| Tashan Reed |
| @tashanreed |
Nelson Agholor called out the #Raiders in the locker room after their Week 16 loss to the Dolphins, per @VicTafur. Among other things, he told teammates they "quit" and said they "sucked."
Ultimately, that falls on Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock: theathletic.com/
It's his 4th game of the season shooting under 20% on 10 or more attempts, the most such games this season. pic.twitter.com/
| Anthony Slater |
| @anthonyVslate |
The next six games for the 10-9 Warriors-vs Pistons
-vs Celtics
-at Mavericks
-at Mavericks
-at Spurs
-at Spurs 1/28/21, 9:10 PM
usatoday.com/sto
16. Marco Luciano, SS (ETA: 2023)
23. Joey Bart, C (ETA: 2021)
82. Heliot Ramos, OF (ETA: 2021)
83. Hunter Bishop, OF (ETA: 2023)
The Giants have their strongest group of position prospects in years, with a superstar-in-the-making in the slugging Luciano, a potential All-Star catcher in Bart and a pair of multi-tooled outfielders in Ramos and Bishop. Left-hander Seth Corry, their best pitching prospect, barely missed the Top 100.
| Buster Olney |
| @Buster_ESPN |
12 seasons and 1,452 games
A lifetime .296 average
1,572 hits
A second-place finish for NL MVP in 1996
3 All-Star appearances
371 doubles, 138 homers
A .986 OPS and 8 homers in 25 postseason games.
SPEAKING OF....
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