San Francisco 49ers: Matt Flynn Should Serve As A QB Cautionary Tale

The San Francisco 49ers shook up the NFL by dealing for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo – and they should look to Matt Flynn as a cautionary tale before proceeding.

San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan apparently enjoys, what’s known in psychological circles, as delayed gratification. In layman’s terms – at least, according to Urban Dictionary – Shanahan is what’s known as a “pleasure delayer.”

Basically, Shanahan seems like the kid who wants to wait until after Christmas dinner to open up all of his shiny, new presents. And we all know how annoying that kid is.

For whatever reason, even coming off a bye week, C.J. Beathard is starting against Seattle, further delaying what could be intense gratification for this franchise and this suffering fanbase.

The 49ers, shaky under center for the past few seasons, finally have somebody they, as well as most of the NFL world, believe could be a franchise quarterback sitting on their roster. Or rather, standing on their sidelines.

All the way back on October 30, if you recall, GM John Lynch sent a second round pick in next year’s draft to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo. But, since the deal was made and he arrived in Santa Clara, he’s been standing around collecting dust.

It’s been nearly a month now, and if you listen to Lynch and Shanahan, we may not actually be any closer to seeing Garoppolo on the field.

"“People have had all these ideas about why we got Jimmy. We got Jimmy because we think he has big-time ability at the quarterback position. And we believe so much – to get where we need to get – you have to have a franchise quarterback. We think he’s got that ability. Whether that happens, when that happens, we’ll see. But we certainly like his future with the 49ers. They’re going to work hard during this week to get him up to speed.But right now, we don’t need him. C.J. just played a great game and his teammates really believe in him. We think it’s nothing but a good situation.”"

It’s unclear what “all these ideas” people apparently have that Lynch is referring to actually are. If you took a poll of 49ers fans, we’re pretty sure that just about every single person would say they thought you traded for Garoppolo because they believe he can help extinguish the dumpster fire this team has been for the last few years.

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Look, it made sense to keep Garoppolo out just after making the trade. He didn’t know the playbook, needed to get acclimated to a new locker room, and throwing him into the fire like that wouldn’t have just been unfair, it would have been a disservice to him.

But, after almost a month after the trade – and now, coming off a bye week – continuing to let Garoppolo languish on the bench makes absolutely zero sense. At some point, they’re going to need to see what they have in Garoppolo and what they gave up a high pick like that for.

They’re not going to see anything though, if they continue letting Garoppolo grow roots under his cleats on the sideline.

The 49ers are 1-9 and going nowhere this season. Sure, Beathard had a nice game against the Giants. It’s fantastic that he helped the team notch their first, and only, win of the season. But, the simple fact that Lynch worked a deal for Garoppolo to begin with, shows us that 49ers brass doesn’t view Beathard as the long-term solution for the franchise.

So, why is he continuing to stand on the sidelines, collecting dust?

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No, he’s not going to know every facet and nuance of Shanahan’s system. It’ll likely take an entire offseason for him to get that intimately familiar with it. But, using a scaled back and pared down version of it would help San Francisco evaluate what they have in Garoppolo.

Sure, in limited duty with the Patriots, Garoppolo looks the part of the franchise quarterback. An undefeated record as a starter (2-0), completing 68 percent of his passes, and throwing five touchdowns against zero interceptions.

Sure, in limited duty, he’s looked fantastic.

San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

But then, so did a guy named Matt Flynn. You remember Flynn, don’t you? As Aaron Rodgers‘ primary backup in Green Bay, he parlayed a few good games and cameo appearances into the pretty hefty free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

And the strength of looking good in limited duty, Flynn signed a $20 million dollar – with $9 million in guaranteed money – only to lose the quarterback competition and find himself traded away to the Oakland Raiders. Flynn lasted just six months and made one in Oakland before getting cut.

Does Garoppolo’s limited tape mean he’s the next Flynn? Not necessarily. But, the tale of Matt Flynn should serve as a cautionary tale to John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, and all of the decision makers in 49ers HQ.

With Garoppolo’s contract expiring at the end of the season, and the common wisdom being that he’s going to need a hefty payday to sign somewhere, it would seem to behoove Shanahan and Lynch to see if he’s actually worth the huge payday he’s expecting.

And the only way to do that is to play him. See what he’s actually like under fire. Is it the Patriots system that built the legend and myth around Garoppolo? Or does he transcend the system? Is he really a franchise quarterback in his own right?

The 49ers have six games to find out whether or not Garoppolo shows the signs of being a quarterback worth a $20 million dollar deal or not – the likely cost of keeping him. And yet, Garoppolo continues to do little more than work on his suntan on the sidelines.

The lack of urgency to see what they traded a high pick for – as well as what they will need to pay a substantial amount to retain – is, quite frankly, mind-boggling.

While not rushing him into the lineup on day one is understandable – and quite frankly, smart – continuing to let him languish on the sidelines is moronic. Especially given the fact that Lynch and Shanahan are already talking like Garoppolo is the future of the franchise.

If they truly believe that, shouldn’t they find out if he actually is the future of the franchise by playing him and seeing what they’ve got?

It would be a blunder of epic proportions – truly Trent Baalke-esque – to throw money hand over fist at Garoppolo only to see him flame out and become what fans fear – the next Matt Flynn.

It’s time that Shanahan unwrap the shiny, nifty new present he’s gotten and take it out for a spin.