Steelers a potential option for 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo after Baker Mayfield trade?

When the Carolina Panthers officially agreed to trade with the Cleveland Browns to land Baker Mayfield on Wednesday, they did more than create a summer quarterback competition between Mayfield and fellow veteran signal-caller Sam Darnold. They also took themselves out of the running for Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers. 

By just about every account, Garoppolo has lost his place atop the San Francisco depth chart to 2021 rookie Trey Lance. The 49ers could ultimately decide to hold onto Jimmy G as a backup through at least the start of the upcoming season, but logic suggests they'd prefer to get something for his services at some point before the fall trade deadline comes and goes. 

Enter the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that some believe has a glaring weakness at the sport's most important position and that is on track to start Mitchell Trubisky over career backup Mason Rudolph and first-round draft selection Kenny Pickett. For a piece published Thursday afternoon, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio named the Steelers as a team that could take a flier on Garoppolo.

"If rookie Kenny Pickett won’t be ready, the question becomes whether Garoppolo would be better than Mitch Trubisky," Florio noted. "Many would say that, despite Garoppolo’s inability to get the 49ers over the top, he is." 

Florio may be correct regarding Trubisky-versus-Garoppolo comparisons, but remember that Pittsburgh and every other team knew Garoppolo was available when the club signed Trubisky in March. Trubisky served as the Steelers' QB1 through springtime workouts, and there's currently no indication that head coach Mike Tomlin is interested in acquiring a supposed upgrade before training camp.