Colt McCoy wins 49ers back up job

Aug 25, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colt McCoy (2) looks for a receiver after faking the handoff to running back LaMichael James (23) during the second quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Sunday was a wild 24 hours for Colt McCoy. Reports began to surface early in the afternoon that the San Francisco 49ers would be looking to trade or release McCoy and they then switched to the news that McCoy would be accepting a 50 percent pay cut.

Now, after the team’s third preseason game of the year, McCoy has won the No. 2 quarterback job in San Francisco.

49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh announced the news after the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.

“I feel real good that Colt is the backup,” Coach Harbaugh said.

The team is also expected to keep rookie B.J. Daniels as the No. 3 quarterback, while Scott Tolzien and the recently signed Seneca Wallace will get the ax.

There is a major difference in level of talent and skill set between McCoy and Colin Kaepernick, so it will be interesting to see what would happen to the 49ers offense if the team’s starter goes down. McCoy obviously wouldn’t run the same offense as Kaepernick, but he could prove to be a valuable stopgap for the team.

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