49ers sign QB Josh Rosen to one-year extension

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo previously reported that the San Francisco 49ers wanted to bring quarterback and 2018 first-round draft pick Josh Rosen back for another season. 

The 49ers confirmed on Monday that they signed Rosen and running back Austin Walter to one-year extensions. 

Walter is mostly a special teams player who averaged 18.6 yards on kick returns and recorded a single carry and one reception during the 2020 season. Rosen is the more interesting development for a handful of reasons. 

The Arizona Cardinals selected Rosen 10th overall in 2018 but replaced him with Kyler Murray the following draft. Arizona then traded Rosen to the Miami Dolphins, where he failed to cement himself as a regular starter ahead of journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. This past September, Miami kept Fitzpatrick and rookie Tua Tagovailoa on the roster through training camp and parted ways with Rosen ahead of the campaign's opening week. He landed on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 49ers added him to the active roster in December. 

The 23-year-old didn't throw a pass in a game during his third year in the league. It's clear, though, that San Francisco general manager John Lynch sees something in the signal-caller as he prepares to make a decision on often-injured starter Jimmy Garoppolo.

As Mark Daniels wrote for the Providence Journal, none of the $24.1 million attached to Garoppolo's contract for next season is guaranteed, and San Francisco would suffer only a $2.8 million salary cap hit upon trading or releasing Garoppolo. Coach Kyle Shanahan could turn Rosen from a castoff into a contender for a starting gig at some point next summer depending on who else is on the depth chart when training camp sessions open.