Analyst puts over/under for Jimmy Garoppolo trade at July 1

The future of San Francisco 49ers veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo continues to generate daily headlines and discussions ahead of Memorial Day. 

Just this week, NFL analyst Ross Tucker predicted the 49ers will ultimately ship Garoppolo to the Carolina Panthers en route to naming 2021 rookie Trey Lance their new starter. However, NBC Sports' Peter King later said that the 49ers could retain Garoppolo's rights for one more season but start Lance this fall unless the 22-year-old "is simply not ready to play." 

Garoppolo underwent surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder in March and likely won't be able to throw at any point before mid-June at the earliest. This is one reason MMQB's Albert Breer noted on Wednesday his over/under for when Garoppolo may be traded is set for July 1. 

"One, the hope is that Jimmy Garoppolo, coming off rotator cuff surgery, will be throwing in late June," Breer explained. "If he can prove then that he’s capable, that’d help—remember, with just one year left on his contract, how soon he gets back to full strength is an important element in his marketability. And not being able to throw in March and April, with the rehab finish line months away, hurt his trade value then.

"Two, by the time we get there, teams will have wrapped up their offseason programs, which means coaches will have had nine weeks with their players, with three weeks of OTA practices, plus the mandatory minicamp mixed in. An injury in the course of that could, of course, create a quarterback need somewhere. But even absent that, there could be a team or two that decides, after having the spring to look at their quarterbacks, to add a new one."

Both 49ers CEO Jed York and general manager John Lynch have insisted the club can afford to keep Garoppolo on the roster through the 2022 season. They've heavily suggested they're not interested in losing the 30-year-old for nothing by releasing him, and they appear in no hurry to trade him for pennies on the dollar. 

It also can't be forgotten that every day Garoppolo is attached to the 49ers gives individuals such as York and Lynch time to ask if Lance is ready to win the biggest regular-season and postseason games on the schedule beginning in September.