Report: 'Little reason' to think 49ers will play Jimmy Garoppolo in preseason

Last month, NFL Network's Brian Baldinger and CBS analyst Tony Romo both suggested the San Francisco 49ers would likely have to wait until a team lost a quarterback to an injury to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, who has officially been replaced atop his employer's depth chart by 2021 rookie Trey Lance.

One thought expressed at the time was that the 49ers would have to play Garoppolo in at least one preseason game so that would-be buyers could see how the 30-year-old looked coming off his March shoulder surgery. Garoppolo has since reportedly been cleared to practice, but Nick Wagoner of ESPN explained in a Monday update why fans shouldn't expect to see Jimmy G suit up for San Francisco at any point this month. 

"There's little reason to believe Garoppolo will practice or play for the Niners again," Wagoner noted. "He's scheduled to count $26.9 million against the 2022 salary cap with a $24.2 million base salary. None of that money is guaranteed, however.

"But Garoppolo's salary could become guaranteed if he were to get injured again." 

The Cleveland Browns had been linked with Garoppolo in some trade rumors and could be without starter Deshaun Watson for at least six games assuming he's suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions, but Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters last week that backup Jacoby Brissett will serve as his QB1 for any games Watson misses this fall. 

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan hinted last week that shipping Garoppolo to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks is not on the table at the moment, but Wagoner added San Francisco will likely have to release Garoppolo if no trade materializes by Aug. 30 so that his salary for 2022 will not become guaranteed.