San Francisco 49ers not looking for 'short-term' QB fix, says Kyle Shanahan

New San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan says the organisation are not looking for a “short-term fix” at quarterback.

The 49ers are expected to be in the market for at least one quarterback this off-season as Shanahan looks to rebuild a team who finished 2-14 last season.

The future of incumbent starter Colin Kaepernick is in doubt as he has the ability to opt out of his contract in March and is not seen as a great fit in Shanahan's offensive scheme.

San Francisco's other quarterbacks from last season - Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder and Thad Lewis - are free agents.

That has led to speculation the 49ers could pursue veteran options like Tony Romo, Jay Cutler or Brian Hoyer but Shanahan says he is keen to build for the long term.

"When you make a decision on a quarterback, you don't want that to just be a short-term fix," Shanahan told reporters.

"You want to make a commitment to somebody. In order to do that, you better make sure you're on the same page with everyone else and you put the time in, you talk to people who've been with these guys."

One named frequently linked to San Francisco is Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who Shanahan has previously worked with.

Highly-coveted New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo is another potential trade option for the 49ers.

In addition to that, the team holds the No 2 overall selection in the draft - where Mitch Trubisky, DeShone Kizer and Deshaun Watson will be options - but Shanahan says the 49ers will not be forced into picking a quarterback early.

"If there is a quarterback there that we believe can match that criteria and we believe he can be a franchise quarterback for us, of course, you don't hesitate on that," Shanahan told KNBR's Murph and Mac Show.

"But if you don't see that and there are other good players - if there's a pass-rusher, a linebacker, if there's an O-lineman, whatever it is - you need to get the best player possible who can help your team for the next 10 years.

"The worst mistake you can make is you take a guy who isn't that good of a player or not worthy of that and the expectations change.

"You put a guy in a position that is really unfair to him and you set your organisation back and then you try to commit to a guy who really, it's unfair to him because he shouldn't have been put in that position. You have to study these guys hard."

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