Ever since their loss in the NFC Championship Game, Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers have been preparing for a divorce.
Even before Garoppolo’s disastrous performance against the Los Angeles Rams, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that San Francisco was going to move off the veteran quarterback. Trading up for Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft seemed to guarantee this.
Both Garoppolo and the 49ers brass touched on this in their season-ending press conference following the aforementioned loss. The quarterback himself put things into perspective, pretty much saying that he would be traded.
We’re now not so sure. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that it’s “not a lock” Garoppolo will be traded.
“Maybe they do trade (Garoppolo), I’m not telling you you’re wrong. It still is absolutely on the table that he could be moved. I think he believes he’s going to be moved. I’m just giving you the other side. I don’t think it’s a lock that he’s going to be traded. He very well might, but it’s not a lock.”
Schefter points to Lance and the fact that he might be greener than most people imagine. While that might be true, there’s a lot more to look at here.
San Francisco 49ers leaking Jimmy Garoppolo information to the media?
This is the first thing that comes to mind. San Francisco might not be in a great negotiating situation with other teams in talks about Garoppolo if both sides deem it a guarantee the quarterback will be traded.
By throwing this information to the media, general manager John Lynch and Co. might think it can create some leverage.
Garoppolo has a $26.95 million cap hit for the 2022 season. San Francisco can save roughly $24.5 million by trading him. Right now, the team is a mere $2.95 million under the 2022 NFL salary cap.
It needs to create room to both extend the likes of Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa while adding outside talent via free agency in order to compete with the defending champion Rams in the NFC. Trading Garoppolo would be the easiest path to do just that. It’s also not like the veteran has been an upper-echelon signal-caller recently.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (2021): 68.3% completion, 3,810 yards, 20 TD, 12 INT, 98.7 rating
Internally, the 49ers believe that Lance brings more to the table in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. While there might be growing pains, he creates another element as a dual-threat quarterback and someone who can actually get the ball down the field — two things that have not defined Garoppolo’s tenure in Northern California.
It’s also important to note that San Francisco gave up three first-round picks and a mid-round selection for Lance. It will need to add some draft capital moving forward.
As of right now, Garoppolo has to be seen as the best quarterback on the trade market. It doesn’t look like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers will be moved. Meanwhile, recent developments in Deshaun Watson’s sexual misconduct case could push back a trade until April at the earliest. In short, San Francisco can get above-market value for Garoppolo in a trade.
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