49ers’ Nick Mullens lands job as Jimmy Garoppolo’s top backup
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SANTA CLARA — Nick Mullens, with little surprise or fanfare, outlasted C.J. Beathard to win the 49ers No. 2 quarterback roll and be Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup entering Sunday’s season opener at Tampa Bay.
Mullens broke the news at his locker Monday, solving one of this offseason’s biggest mysteries and one that might be relatively meaningless as long as Garoppolo stays healthy in his comeback from knee reconstruction.
Rather than bask in his role, Mullens looked at the 49ers’ big picture as they look to snap a five-year playoff drought with Garoppolo at the controls.
“Super excited for him,” Mullens said. “We all encourage each other. We all have a positive mindset in that room.
“You could see what the offense can be in that Preseason 3. We ran the ball, threw the ball and protected very well, and looking forward to carrying that momentum into Week 1. It’s all Tampa now so we’re super excited.”
Mullens has had a few days to digest news of his role, having learned about it Friday in what was a milestone day for him. Hours after coach Kyle Shanahan gave him that QB2 news, Mullens became a first-time father, as his wife, Haleigh, gave birth to their son, Luke.
“Pretty cool week. Very thankful,” the 24-year-old Mullens said, adding that his wife and son came home from the hospital Sunday healthy and happy.
Beathard, meanwhile, indicated that he got a fair shot in what Shanahan described all offseason as a “dead even” competition.
“I definitely felt it was a good competition and each of us had our fair share of plays,” said Beathard, who spoke to reporters before Mullens and declined to reveal who won their competition; Shanahan will speak with reporters Wednesday for the first time since last Thursday’s exhibition finale.
Beathard acknowledged there is “an always stressful” feeling the couple weeks before roster cuts, ading that although he surveyed the league’s quarterback landscape, he was not too dialed into the 49ers’ trade talks, which fell through when no team met their asking price.
Both Beathard and Mullens arrived in 2017 in Shanahan’s initial year as coach, Beathard coming as a third-round draft pick and Mullens arriving undrafted out of Southern Miss. Beathard went 1-9 as a replacement starter his first two years, and Mullens went 3-5 upon being promoted from the practice squad to finish last season as the 49ers starter; Garoppolo got hurt in Week 3.
Asked if he reflects on how far he’s come, Mullens replied: “Every now and then. Periodcally. I’m very thankful for the position we’re in as a team, excited for a year of a lot of opportunity.
“It’s kind of cool to see where I started and where I am now. But the work doesn’t stop. It only gets tougher from here.”