For the last couple of seasons, Matt Schaub has been Matt Ryan’s backup. The former Falcons draft pick returned to the place that gave him his start and his opportunity at a starting job in Houston via trade, and while he played very little, he sure did hold a clipboard well.

Now he might be heading elsewhere. The destination will not surprise you.

Falcons QB Matt Schaub could follow Atlanta OC Kyle Shanahan to SF, per sources. Schaub could be starter, backup or bridge to future SF QB. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2017

It has been years since Matt Schaub has been an effective NFL starter, but he’s a Kyle Shanahan favorite and would be a cost-effective stopgap in a system he’s very familiar with. The 49ers seem very likely to draft their quarterback of the future this April, which means Schaub would be starting for at most one season, and probably less than that.

That would leave the Falcons looking for another backup—though it’s worth pointing out that Schaub wasn’t under contract anyways—and I’m hopeful they’ll look in the tail end of the draft if there’s a player they like. Bridging the gap is fine, but getting a quarterback who could legitimately step in and run the offense over the next few seasons or fetch a decent bounty in a trade is a good decision. The Falcons have mostly leaned away from that, though they did have John Parker Wilson and Sean Renfree behind Matt Ryan at times.