Michael Vick. Brady Quinn. Jay Cutler. Whenever a quarterback's been in search of a new home recently, he's been linked to the 49ers. And why not? The team's passing offense has been entrenched at the bottom of the league's rankings since Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens left town. The latest QB who might be on his way to the Bay? Donovan McNabb. The Merc's Tim Kawakami makes a strong argument this morning that McNabb's presence would launch the 49ers to the top of a suddenly quarterback-starved division. Meanwhile, Eagles beatwriter Jeff Mosher lists the 49ers as one of the top possible destinations for McNabb.
A couple of things to consider, however, before ordering that No. 5 jersey in red and gold. (Or at least ironing "McNabb" over "Garcia" on one of your old ones.)
1. Let's say the Eagles indeed try to deal McNabb. I think they would be much more inclined to trade him to an AFC team than one in their own conference. The fact that the Eagles play the 49ers this season also might give them pause about an intra-conference deal.
2. McNabb will have a say in where he goes. He has one year remaining on his contract, and any team that trades high draft picks for him will want to lock him up for a few more years. For one, the 49ers don't use the West Coast offense with which McNabb is accustomed. He wouldn't be able to hit the ground running like he would in, say, Minnesota. Second, you have to wonder whether he would recoil at the 49ers approach as strongly as Kurt Warner did a year ago. Warner said he knew 20 minutes into his visit that San Francisco wasn't the place for him. Would McNabb reach the same conclusion?
-- Matt Barrows
