49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo says Dolphins 'were in the conversation' to trade for him

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has named the Miami Dolphins as one of the clubs that possibly considered trading for him last offseason. 

"They were in the conversation," Garoppolo said of the Dolphins while speaking with media members, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Not much came from it, but they were definitely one of the teams in the conversation. It seemed like a good spot. As an offense, that’s tremendous skill players, everything they got going over there. Mike [McDaniel] being a great coach, I had been with him in the past here and it was discussed, but I’m glad the way things worked out." 

Garoppolo's suggestion makes sense, as McDaniel worked with the veteran as 49ers offensive coordinator before he accepted the Miami head-coaching job last winter. However, McDaniel also directly and publicly contacted Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in February to say he was "all in" on coaching the 24-year-old. 

"You’re going to get the best out of me that you can possibly get," McDaniel told Tagovailoa at that time. 

It's also worth noting that McDaniel likely had at least some idea that Garoppolo was dealing with a significant shoulder problem ahead of Super Bowl LVI. Garoppolo ultimately required surgery to fix that issue in March, and he later agreed to a restructured contract to stay with the 49ers as a backup to Trey Lance. 

Thus far, things have worked out well for all involved as the 7-4 49ers prepare to host the 8-3 Dolphins this Sunday. ESPN stats show that Tagovailoa, a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate, heads into the weekend leading the NFL among qualified quarterbacks with a 115.7 passer rating and an 82.6 total QBR this season. He's second with a 69.7% completion percentage and tied for fifth with 19 touchdown passes in nine games. 

Garoppolo, meanwhile, replaced an injured Lance in Week 2 and has since gone 6-3 as a starter. He's fifth in the league with a 103.0 passer rating and has combined 16 touchdown passes with just four interceptions in 10 games and nine starts.