49ers GM John Lynch: 'A lot of people' will have interest in Jimmy Garoppolo despite QB's impending surgery

NFL trade rumors were somewhat thrown into disarray when it was learned Tuesday that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo needs surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder that he initially suffered during the wild-card playoff win at the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 16. 

Despite that setback, 49ers general manager John Lynch told NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Wednesday that "a lot of teams have interest" in Garoppolo as Lynch and company prepare to promote 2021 rookie Trey Lance to the role of QB1. As Nick Wagoner noted for ESPN, Lynch again found himself fielding questions about his most recent starting signal-caller during Wednesday's media session at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

"A lot of people need or want quarterbacks right now, and he's obviously a guy they'd look at," Lynch said of Garoppolo. "So, yes, we have listened, but he's a part of us and he's gonna work diligently to get back from this surgery. I haven't even talked to Jimmy yet, but it sounds like that's the decision right now to go ahead and have that."

Garoppolo also dealt with a torn ligament and a chipped bone in his right (throwing) thumb throughout the postseason tournament but did not require a procedure to repair those injuries. The 30-year-old may not resume throwing after shoulder surgery until July, at the latest, but Lynch seemed confident that wouldn't prevent a different team from completing a trade for Garoppolo as soon as when the new league year opens on March 16.

"There's always Plan A, Plan B, Plan C," Lynch explained. "We plan for all of that accordingly. Jimmy is a big part of what we've done. And like I said, he's still a part of us and until that changes we feel blessed that he is. Right now, when we're talking about his shoulder, I'm worried about that for the Niners and for Jimmy. As far as anything else, we have had some discussions with teams and we'll continue to."