With starter Jimmy Garoppolo being out with ankle injury, San Francisco 49ers were forced to turn to backup quarterback Nick Mullens in last week’s contest against NY Giants. Mullens is now expected to start under center in Week 4 as well, as he was impressive enough for the 49ers to take a cautious approach with Garoppolo’s return.
However, despite Mullens’ encouraging showings, the 49ers don’t seem him keeping the job if Garoppolo is fit.
“That scenario does not exist,” said 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan when asked about the possibility of Mullens dethroning Garoppolo. “This is Jimmy’s team. When he’s healthy, he’s playing.”
Stepping in for Garoppolo in Week 2 to close out the game against NY Jets, Mullens threw for 71 yards while also having an interception. However, the 25-year-old quarterback bounced back by completing 25 of 36 pass attempts for 343 passing yards against the Giants while also having one touchdown.
It isn’t surprising that Shanahan remains committed to Jimmy Garoppolo, considering he is their franchise quarterback and casting any doubt on his status would probably hurt the team. But it’s no secret that Garoppolo hasn’t performed in a way 49er have expected him to.
The 28-year-old player is occasionally mistake-prone and hasn’t shown that he can perform in high-stakes moments. This was especially obvious in last season’s Super Bowl when Garoppolo made some crucial misses that could have helped San Francisco to avoid a loss.
