The most likely scenario is that the San Francisco 49ers will enter the 2021 season with Jimmy Garoppolo below center. While CEO John Lynch has recently committed to it as the current plan, it hasn’t stopped rampant speculation that the team will continue to look for an upgrade.

NBC Sports’ Chris Simms has expressed concern about the availability of Garoppolo. The quarterback has missed 23 games in the past three seasons due to injuries. But if he’s in there, the 49ers are successful. The obvious example is the 2019 campaign where Garoppolo started all 16 games for the first time in his NFL career, helping the 49ers to a record of 13-3, the NFC West crown and a Super Bowl appearance.

Simms thinks San Francisco could bear to upgrade the quarterback position. With someone else, this would simply be attributed to another analyst with an opinion. However, Simms is a close friend of Kyle Shanahan and may understand the 49ers’ head coach thinking better than most. Although Simms does admit that due to his position in the media, Shanahan is often reluctant to share football-related insider information with him.

What options does Simms provide for Shanahan and the 49ers to upgrade at quarterback? He shared three scenarios via Twitter (h / t to Grant Cohn from Sports Illustrated). Incidentally, none was involved with Deshaun Watson.

The first appears to be a more cautious option. It probably assumes that San Francisco sees Garoppolo as a possible long-term solution. Of course, the 49ers inquiring about other quarterbacks in this off-season, many wonder if that’s the case.

Lynch recently stated that the team should have a better backup plan in case Garoppolo loses time again. The 49ers tried unsuccessfully to push through the season last year with Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard, who were largely ineffective replacements. Adding a better backup might be ideal.

Option two would not necessarily lead to Garoppolo’s immediate departure. San Francisco could draft a quarterback and let him sit for a season and learn behind the veteran, who already understands the offense well. The real question is whether Shanahan sees one of the top prospects as a suitable long-term replacement for Garoppolo. If so, which one does he like best?

Simms has said in the past that he feels that both Zach Wilson, who is expected to be selected as No. 2 overall, and Mac Jones would be solid fit for the 49ers attack.

Option three is arguably the more controversial suggestion. Although Sam Darnold possesses physical traits that surpass Garoppolo’s, there is some debate about his ceiling. Was Darnold limited by low-talent rosters in New York, or is his whimsical play what you’d expect, even with a more talented roster?

Darnold is only 23 years old and his salary offers significant savings compared to Garoppolo’s. However, is he a better long-term solution? Trading Garoppolo for Darnold would be a gamble.

The good news is that if Shanahan wants Darnold and the Jets want to get beyond the quarterback, the head coach has a friend in New York – former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is now the Jets head coach. Of course, that doesn’t mean San Francisco can get Darnold for a bargain price. However, it can make the process easier.

The 49ers’ quarterback options will remain a storyline until all dominoes are out of season.