49ers reportedly thought Commanders would trade for QB Jimmy Garoppolo

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch suggested before the start of the regular season that "two-to-three teams" were interested in trading for veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo during this year's NFL Scouting Combine before it was reported on March 8 that Garoppolo had undergone surgery on his right (throwing) shoulder. 

The identity of one of those teams may now be known. 

ESPN's Tim Keown and Nick Wagoner wrote that individuals within the 49ers believed this past winter that the Washington Commanders were "poised to become Garoppolo's next NFL home" before he went under the knife. 

"Garoppolo's shoulder wasn't healing as he and his medical team hoped," Keown and Wagoner explained. "After further consultation with doctors, Garoppolo and his representatives opted for surgery that set the beginning of training camp as a target date for a full recovery. By March 1, the plan became public knowledge, and eight days later the Commanders moved on, trading for Indianapolis (Colts) quarterback Carson Wentz."

Lynch and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan replaced Garoppolo with 2021 rookie Trey Lance atop the depth chart as the 30-year-old recovered from the shoulder procedure, but no team traded for Garoppolo's services before he ultimately agreed to take a pay cut to remain with the Niners as their backup. Garoppolo returned under center this past Sunday after Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury during San Francisco's 27-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks and is now the team's starting signal-caller in a contract year. 

Garoppolo will lead the 1-1 49ers into Sunday's prime-time matchup at the 1-1 Denver Broncos this coming weekend.