NFL rumors: 3 new teams that could completely shake up Derek Carr sweepstakes

Teams that could shake up Derek Carr, NFL rumors landscape: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers should be considered the wild card of the free agency period. They can shake up the rumor cycle in such a wide variety of ways, especially depending on what they intend to do at quarterback.

Brock Purdy has leap-frogged Trey Lance as the successor to Jimmy Garoppolo after his performance at the end of last season and into the postseason. Had it not been for an injury early in the game against the Eagles of the NFC Championship, the 49ers could have flirted with a Super Bowl appearance under his leadership.

Purdy’s surgery was recently delayed and he’s going to miss most of the offseason. That evens the scales between him and Lance going into a starting role competition in training camp.

But what if San Fran decided to jump into the Carr market, if even just to check on price and fit at an introductory level?

Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system deserves all the praise it’s garnered. Any quarterback that sets foot in it seems to find success and make it look effortless in the process of doing so.

Carr is a solid, top-10-to-15 QB in the NFL. Can you imagine what he’d be capable of inside such a strong system?

Signing Carr would give the Niners an immediate answer at QB rather than hoping Purdy’s surgery recovery goes well or that Lance is ready. That said, the Niners may want to move to one of those younger players sooner than later, so their seriousness in the Carr market could be dictated by how long a contract he’s seeking.

If it’s a one-to-two-year deal he’s out for, the 49ers are a sneaky good spot. If it’s three-to-five years, they may not be too involved.

Nonetheless, the Niners are a non-obvious Carr contender, so if they were to officially meet with him, chaos would surely ensue.