49ers might have to get creative at quarterback

(01-12) 17:54 PST --

After seven years in quarterback hell, the 49ers have been promoted into purgatory. They can expect to remain there for a long time.

Until the collective-bargaining agreement is signed, no team can contact a free agent or complete a trade. The draft will take place as usual in April, although none of the picks can be signed until the owners and players agree on a CBA. Unless the owners drop a large portion of their demands or the players completely surrender, the entire league could be essentially frozen through what should be training camp, preseason and possibly the start of the regular season.

The draft might hold half the answer to the 49ers' quarterback question, if that. Picking in the seventh spot of the first round, the 49ers probably would be better served filling another position. (Swapping picks will be more complicated than usual if players can't be part of the deal.)

A cornerback or offensive lineman might be the best first pick, and then the 49ers could put coach Jim Harbaugh's reputed skills to work in the lower rounds. Can he help find and cultivate the next Drew Brees or Matt Schaub out of the second or third round, or spot another overlooked Tom Brady or Matt Hasselbeck, who both went in the sixth?

(We'll leave aside any discussion of Joe Montana going in the third round, because that happened more than 30 years ago.)

Then the question moves to Part B: Who is the starter next season? The draft won't provide that. There's no Sam Bradford or Matt Ryan out there, clearly able to run an NFL team as a rookie.

The free-agency pool, once it opens up, runs very, very shallow, so much so that Alex Smith will look good to some teams. But he is done with the 49ers. It's not even a question of whether they want him back; he'd probably opt for the Canadian Football League before he'd play in San Francisco again.

Michael Vick's two-year deal with the Eagles is expiring, but they're almost certain to slap the franchise tag on him (assuming the league's new agreement retains that tactic). Kevin Kolb's name keeps coming up in trade rumors, because he has made it clear that he wanted to leave if he can't start in Philadelphia. He also seems like a potential fit for Harbaugh's plans, because the Eagles run a version of the West Coast offense.

Andy Reid said he wants to keep both quarterbacks, but also said in summer 2009 he wouldn't sign Vick just before the Eagles grabbed him. Reid also said Kolb would keep his starting job early this season, then immediately gave it to Vick. So who knows what the Eagles actually will do with their luxurious quarterback situation?

Kolb's trade plea was driven by the prospect of a long-term deal for Vick. Reid's long-term vision for the team has placed Kolb behind center since the day he was drafted, and Vick's style of play makes him extremely vulnerable and in need of a strong backup. Keeping Kolb makes sense.

Kyle Orton's name has been floated as well, and a trade out of Denver would make sense in an ordinary year. But if the bargaining fight lasts through August, he makes a great safety net for the Broncos and their new head coach. Teams will have little time to prep for the season, and stability will be a huge advantage. (That was one reason that the Bengals stuck with Marvin Lewis as their coach after a 4-12 season.) Because John Elway, the team's new executive voice, has said that Tim Tebow is not ready to take over the job, what are the chances that the Broncos will give up Orton?

Donovan McNabb comes into the picture again because his brief time in Washington has been such a disappointment. He might have reached the point in his career where he is ready to be a transitional quarterback. He has plenty of experience in the West Coast scheme.

Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke may have to be creative and cull the ranks of NFL outsiders, most of whom who could sign with a team regardless of the labor negotiations. Can they find a Randall Cunningham, out of football and cutting granite and marble for luxury countertops, but still able to give the Vikings a great season? Or a Kurt Warner, stuck in the Arena League with MVP potential and three Super Bowl trips in his future? (OK, that's really too much to ask.) Or maybe a Jeff Garcia, lighting up the CFL and waiting for Bill Walsh to pitch him to Steve Mariucci?

Seven years ago, the 49ers cut Garcia loose, and respectability went with him. Seven years and counting ...

This article has been corrected since it appeared in print.

E-mail Gwen Knapp at gknapp@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle