There is a ton of talk about the pick the 49ers are going to make at 3rd overall after trading up. We won’t know until the guy is taken, but the thinking is the 49ers have already decided and that’s why they made the trade so early and in an uncharacteristically aggressive manner. But what if I posited a theory that the person they pick at 3rd overall has been years in the making. Let’s dive into this whacky and crazy theory I have that is likely way off base but would be epic if true. If it’s false, it’s still a pretty fun story I suppose.
Mike Shanahan runs a QB Camp known as QB Collective, a youth camp for QBs where bits and pieces of the Shanahan system and culture are instilled on young QBs rising up through the ranks. Kyle Shanahan has been a coach in it for years. Whether he really does it now or not is irrelevant but a few years ago when Justin Fields was still in high school, he did. He directly coached Fields at this camp back then.
This camp still goes on and the poster boy of this camp is............... Justin Fields. The Collective has kind of taken it upon themselves recently to make the decision to turn Fields into the face of the whole thing. You wonder why. Could Shanahan have been eyeing him that long ago?
Some other timing and circumstances make sense. He took the head coaching job in 2017 with the 49ers. The one thing that didn’t happen is getting a QB immediately. A new regime with no QB passing on one while having the 2nd overall pick is a really strange move. They instead elected to go with the bridge veteran in Brian Hoyer.
Many think, and it’s pretty much confirmed, that Shanahan was eyeing Cousins in free agency in 2018. This was before they acquired Garoppolo. That move itself is weird too. A team that looks like they’ll get the top pick in the 2018 draft at the time and a chance to draft Mayfield or Darnold and a team that was eyeing Cousins too decides to pass on both possibilities just because Belichick told them too? Here’s a theory that works here. They wanted a bridge QB, not a younger QB, this whole time. A guy that can last 4-5 years there before they move onto Fields (and the timeline makes sense given this was in 2017). Cousins was option 1 but they just decided Garoppolo could do and he’d be cheaper to sign and they can get that right that very minute by trading for him. They’d risk it trying to woo Cousins in free agency and perhaps miss. This was the best option. The Garoppolo 5-year contract with easy outs after years 3 and 4 is also something that fits in the timeline. 49ers can move on from him this year or next with little penalty, the years Fields would become draft eligible. Funny how that happened.
*There is one more side thing here but it’s not confirmed info so I’ll put it in asterisks but it would help this theory a ton if true. There’s talk that Shanahan has a good working relationship with Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Day took over in 2018 as the head coach there during the season but his first full year (and first chance to attack the transfer portal) was 2019. Guess where Fields wound up? Ohio State. If it’s true the two have a good relationship (seemed seamless with Bosa didn’t it?), then this timing is impeccable to get him to Ohio State and Shanahan could let a guy he trusts coach him and get him ready. Day also just happened to introduce more pro-level concepts in the offense when Fields got there. Things that Shanahan’s offense asks for too like working under center, play action and boot legs. Hmm. If it’s true the two have a relationship, this could easily cement the theory. If not, then it’s nothing but a string of events that mean nothing. Thought I’d add it in though.*
If Kyle Shanahan saw something in Fields way back and wanted to coach him at the next level, it would be very complicated to get to that point. Taking a head coaching job where the QB room was literally empty and a place that was willing to give him 5-6 years to see his grand design fits everything he’d look for. He got it in San Francisco. Passing on the chance to draft a potential stud QB for two years to wind up with a guy who is seen widely as a bridge QB that you can have for 3-4 years until it’s time makes sense too. And if the Ryan Day thing is true, the theory gains infinitely more intrigue. The QB Collective’s choice to turn Justin Fields into the poster boy of the whole thing could hint at something too. Often, you see a move made in the NFL and see later that a big reason was because it established relationships. This could be it.
This theory has a .000000001% chance of being anything probably. At worst, it’s a fun story that’ll keep you entertained. We’ll never know unfortunately no matter what happens (actually, we’ll know it’s surely untrue if they pass on Fields). But some of the pieces are so intriguing and work together to build a puzzle that this could truly be Kyle Shanahan’s grand design. Certainly a very risky grand design but the 49ers have put themselves in prime position to select Justin Fields now so it can’t be disregarded that this was the plan all along.
Also, it’s April Fool’s Day when this is posted, so if this is just a joke, well you know why. Carry on.
No comments:
Post a Comment