SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- There is perhaps no story that will hang over the San Francisco 49ers' heads more between now and March than the long-term contract situation of Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins.

With the Niners and Redskins set to square off on Sunday, that storyline has taken center stage all week. We've covered it at length in this space and other parts of this website, and we will be revisiting it multiple times between now and the start of 2018 free agency. We've also gone through the many options the 49ers have created for themselves, should Cousins not reunite with Niners coach Kyle Shanahan in the Bay Area.

But one thing we haven't yet discussed: What if the Niners already have their own version of Cousins in the form of rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard?

It might seem far-fetched to compare a rookie who has yet to play in a regular-season game to someone such as Cousins, who ranks fourth in total QBR since 2015. In fact, it's a comparison Beathard won't make even as outside observers do.

"I don’t like to compare myself to anybody, but I’ve got a lot of respect for Kirk, and I think he’s a great quarterback," Beathard said. "He’s just a really good guy, and obviously he’s doing a great job in the NFL. I have got a lot of respect for him. But I don’t like to compare [myself] to other guys."

That's OK, we can do that for Beathard, and to be sure, there are some easy comparisons to draw.

In 2012, Cousins was a Big Ten quarterback at Michigan State, playing in a pro-style offense that helped prepare him for the NFL. He was the 102nd overall pick in the draft by Washington, a team that featured Kyle Shanahan as the offensive coordinator and primary playcaller.

In 2017, Beathard was a Big Ten quarterback at Iowa, playing in a pro-style offense that helped prepare him for the NFL. He was the 204th overall pick in the draft by the 49ers, a team that features Shanahan as the head coach and primary playcaller.

Cousins and Beathard even bear a physical resemblance: Beathard is listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Cousins at 6-foot-3 and 202.

Despite those similarities, there's one massive difference between the two: NFL experience. While Cousins has started 36 games over the past two-plus seasons, Beathard is still awaiting his first meaningful action in the regular season. It's a feeling that is familiar to Cousins, who had to wait until Week 15 of his rookie season before he got significant playing time.

"I think your mindset as a backup quarterback is you just play in such a way that coaches go back to watch the film of practice or preseason games and say, ‘Man, he may not be quite ready yet or it may not be the time to put him in there, but we cannot wait for that chance because the stuff he is putting on tape in practice or in the preseason games or on the scout team is special, and we cannot wait to give him that opportunity down the road,'" Cousins said. "That was kind of always my goal going out to practice was to make plays in a way that gets the coaches excited and gives them reason to think that there’s a lot of potential and a future. And I think from what I’ve gathered in the preseason and whatnot is C.J. has been able to do that. Hopefully it works out for him."

For now, Beathard finds himself behind starter Brian Hoyer. He has one snap to his name, when he replaced Hoyer against Arizona after Hoyer had to come out because of an injury. Beathard handed the ball off and then returned to the bench.

Aside from that, Beathard spends his Sundays closely observing Hoyer from the sideline. Earlier this week, Beathard noted the difference in following along with a regular-season game and doing so in the preseason. For each play Shanahan sends in, Beathard said he listens to the call, goes through it in his head, identifies what kind of play it is and then looks out on the field to read the defense. At the snap, he goes through his progression and tries to determine where he would go with the ball if he were in the game.

Those mental reps also give Beathard a chance to appreciate how Shanahan goes about setting things up with his playcalling.

"I think he’s the best at what he does," Beathard said. "His schemes, his offense, I think it’s the best in the game, and the fact that he can switch it up based on who the quarterback is is great. He’s a really smart, football-minded guy that really knows what he’s doing, what he’s talking about, and it’s great to learn from him and have him as my coach."

With Hoyer struggling to find consistency through the first five weeks, it seems just a matter of time before Beathard gets his opportunity. Shanahan has said he won't rush into such a decision, but with so much to figure out before the offseason, it stands to reason that the Niners would like to have at least an early read on whether Beathard has starter potential before possibly investing big money in someone such as Cousins or a high draft pick on someone such as USC's Sam Darnold.

"C.J. is doing a good job in practice," Shanahan said. "I think he's gotten better each week, and we'll continue to do that with him, and if we feel it's the best thing for the team, the best thing for C.J. and the players around him, that's when we'll do that."

If and when that time comes, there probably won't be enough time for Beathard to cancel any offseason plans the Niners might have at quarterback. But it's worth noting that it wasn't until Cousins' fourth season that he established himself as a starter. Whether Beathard will follow a similar path, only time will tell.