The San Francisco 49ers have granted back-up quarterback, Shaun Hill, permission to seek a trade partner for the club, despite a 10-6 career record.
The 49ers have recently signed David Carr, and this was a move that was highly scrutinized (even by 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis) for not making very much sense, and now none of what the 49ers are doing makes much sense.
Shaun Hill is a very capable back-up, and even filled in quite well for the 49ers during his time as the starter in 2008 and 2009, before giving way to Alex Smith.
The quarterbacking job is solely Alex Smith’s job, and that was made clear by the way he played down the stretch in 2009, but the back-up job is up in that air.
It’s no secret that the 49ers have themselves a log-jam at quarterback, but bringing in David Carr to let Shaun Hill seek a trade is a move that leaves many scratching their heads.
When you look at the body of work put in by David Carr compared to Shaun Hill, Hill outshines Carr, which doesn’t make it very clear why he is the one the 49ers are going to let go, or why they signed David Carr in the first place.
Hill may be able to compete for a starting job on a quarterback needy team, but at this point, that seems unlikely. He played poorly during the first half of 2009, which led to his benching in favor of Alex Smith. It wouldn’t make sense for a bad team to bring in an at-best average quarterback when they’re looking for their quarterback of the future.
Don’t expect a potential suitor to arise, because teams around the league know the 49ers won’t enter the season with four quarterbacks, and one will get cut. Look for Hill to catch on with a team before training camp.