The 49ers' quarterback question is not going away any time soon, and one new name has emerged as of late: Mitchell Trubisky.
NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Takeo Spikes and 49ers insider Matt Maiocco explored some of the 49ers' potential quarterback options heading into the offseason, and mentioned the embattled Chicago Bears QB as a possible external candidate to replace Jimmy Garoppolo and man San Francisco's offense in 2021.
"I know people are down on him," Spikes said. "I honestly think he’s been playing better over the last three or four games since he’s come back."
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Trubisky has endured his fair share of criticism this season, and was even benched earlier in the year, but a late-season resurface from the 26-year-old has sparked new consideration. He's coming off his best game of the season -- a 36-7 rout of the Houston Texans -- where Trubisky threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Spikes argued up the cause to consider Trubisky based on the former No. 2 draft pick's intuition for the sport.
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"I remember covering him in college," Spikes said. "I was impressed with his knowledge of the game. I thought he would’ve had a better career up to this point as a professional quarterback in the NFL.
"Now, you also have to look at the lack of what he hasn’t been able to get – what I’m assuming from the offensive staff of the Chicago Bears," Spikes added. "It really makes me think, this could be a possibility."
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Trubisky could be a solid consideration. He holds a career 63.4 percent completion rate and has thrown for 9,890 yards over 48 games.
While Maiocco didn't rule out the possibility of looking into Trubisky, he did offer other scenarios for San Francisco, including one where they don't make a change at all.
"I think there are a lot of possibilities," Maiocco said. "That’s why the quarterback position is so fascinating with the 49ers. It could just be open and shut, Jimmy’s our guy, let’s move on. Or it could be any number of quarterbacks out there. Whether it’s guys who already have jobs or becoming free, either in free agency or trades, or any number of guys in the college ranks."
Garoppolo is in his third year of a five-year contract with San Francisco, but the 49ers can cut him this offseason with little penalty. Before suffering his second high ankle sprain this season, the 29-year-old owned a 67.1 percent completion rate, throwing for seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Garoppolo's most recent injury occurred in Week 8, and teammate Raheem Mostert recently revealed that it might have been more serious than just a high-ankle sprain..
While Garoppolo continues to heal, the 49ers have elected to stick with Nick Mullens at quarterback for their Week 15 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco also has C.J. Beathard at its disposal, who has appeared briefly in three games this season.
Regardless, the 49ers will have plenty of candidates to ponder, both inside the organization and out.