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One 49ers player knew Garoppolo was the answer before Lynch, Shanahan even pursued him

MIAMI — When 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan first went searching for a franchise quarterback, all signs pointed to eventually signing Kirk Cousins.

Even after entering their first draft with the No. 2 overall selection (they later swapped picks with the Chicago Bears), Lynch and Shanahan were more focused on building out the 49ers’ roster than taking a chance on an unproven college talent such as Deshaun Watson or this week’s Super Bowl opponent, Patrick Mahomes.

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Players don’t make personnel decisions, but if they did, safety Jimmie Ward would have lobbied to acquire a particular signal-caller right away.