Nick Mullens, effective and exciting as he was at times over the second half of the 2018 season, was never auditioning for the role of the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback. That job belongs to Jimmy Garoppolo, of course, who signed a whopping five-year, $137.5 million contract with San Francisco in February of last year after shining for his new team following a midseason trade from the New England Patriots.

As a result, despite wildly surpassing expectations as a rookie, Mullens always seemed more like a novelty last season than a potential cog for the 49ers going forward. Now that he's proven himself an NFL talent, though, the former undrafted free agent is looking to cement his future in San Francisco as the team's second-string quarterback, a challenge he's already embracing.

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“It doesn’t matter what you did in the past,” Mullens said, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “On the door it says, ‘What’s Important Now.' And that’s what I’ve been focusing on and will continue to do every single day. What’s important now: I want to be best at QB drills we did with the coaches today. I embrace it. Competition brings out the best in people.”

Competing with Mullens for the backup job is C.J. Beathard, a 2017 third-round pick who first took over for Garoppolo after his knee injury in Week 3. San Francisco went on to lost its next five games as Beathard struggled, clearing the way for Mullens to see the field. The Southern Mississippi product responded by throwing for 2,207 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 64.2 percent of his passes, leading the Niners to a 3-5 record.