Noting that the NFL is no place for promises, General Manager Scot McCloughan made no assurances Wednesday that two men he supports — quarterback Alex Smith and Coach Mike Nolan — would be around for 2009.

McCloughan went so far as to acknowledge the team would release Smith if it appeared the former No. 1 pick was headed for another season on the bench.

Smith is scheduled to make $9.625 million in base salary in '09.

"The amount of money we're going to invest in him, it'd have to be proven that he is the guy," McCloughan said.

J.T. O'Sullivan, the surprise winner of the starting job, will play for the NFL minimum this season, but he is on a one-year contract and will be eligible for free agency at the end of this season.

That could mean a sequel of the great training-camp debate — Smith vs. O'Sullivan — as the 49ers look toward their long-term future. Cutting Smith would cost the team $5.3 million against the '09 salary cap.

"If we're having this discussion at the end of the season about J.T., that means he had a heck of a year for us. That's what we're looking for," McCloughan said. "That'd be a nice problem to have to worry about, knowing that we have to do a new contract with (O'Sullivan) to keep him a 49er."

Nolan, meanwhile, is 16-32 during his first three seasons as coach. He talked his way into a fourth season by making his case to owners John York and Jed York that the team was on the verge of a turnaround. But as a concession, McCloughan was promoted to general manager and given the so-called "trigger" on key matters — including the power to fire the head coach.

Asked if Nolan might be gone if the team gets off to a slow start, McCloughan said: "I can't answer that right now. That's looking out into the future. We're planning on getting to a 3-1, 4-1 start and going from there. We're living week to week and that's what you do in the NFL."

Pressed further, McCloughan added: "If the time comes and something needs to be done, it will be done. But right now, it's not even close to that. We're approaching this as, 'Listen, we're in this together. We're going to get this thing right.' "

Nolan, in one of his first acts as coach, hired McCloughan to serve as his vice president of player personnel. Together, they helped decide to take Smith with the first overall choice in the 2005 draft.

The move has been a colossal disappointment. Smith has 19 career touchdown passes against 31 interceptions and his continued struggles with accuracy this summer cemented his spot on the bench.

McCloughan conceded Wednesday that the revolving door of offensive coordinators — four in four years — has stunted Smith's growth.

Still, he said he thinks Smith has a bright future. McCloughan said he was "surprised" but not disappointed that career backup O'Sullivan was able to win the starting job.

"From a pure talent standpoint, I see something different," McCloughan said. "But that doesn't matter. You've got to go out there with the guy that understands the system, that knows how to work the system better."

That means Smith will be exactly the extravagantly paid backup the team will try to avoid next season. For now, the 49ers will live with the awkward situation.

"The fans deserve to see what gives us the best chance to win. The players deserve the situation where they have the best chance to win," McCloughan said. "The money doesn't come into it. If it's a mistake, it's a mistake, and that's going to happen in the NFL. But you can't be stubborn about it.

"Not to say that Alex's career is done here at all. Or anywhere else. Or Shaun Hill's career is done here at all as a starter. You couldn't have told me a year ago that J.T. O'Sullivan was going to be our starting quarterback now. So things will happen."