Jimmy Garoppolo says he was nearly traded to the Panthers

Not long ago, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seemed destined to be wearing anything but a San Francisco 49ers uniform when the 2022 NFL season kicked off. 

However, a catastrophic season-ending injury to Trey Lance later, and Garoppolo finds himself back as the starter under center for the Niners again. 

According to Garoppolo himself, things could have turned out very differently. Furthermore, Garoppolo says he could be wearing the jersey of the 49ers' opponent this Sunday, the Carolina Panthers. 

"I think we were advancing with a couple different teams. Nothing, obviously came to fruition. They were top of the list, I would say, one of the top couple," Garoppolo told NFL.com. "I'm glad things worked out. I'm here, so I'm focused on this stuff now." 

While Garoppolo stayed put in San Francisco, the Panthers acquired Baker Mayfield to fill the void at quarterback. So far, the Mayfield experiment hasn't yielded great results. Through four games, the Panthers are 1-3 with Mayfield under center. Mayfield has also struggled, posting a 54.7 completion percentage, throwing for 747 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Despite being linked heavily to Garoppolo this offseason, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule recently downplayed the team's interest, saying trade talks "never got very far." 

Meanwhile, Garoppolo has led the Niners to a 1-1 record in two starts. Last week, he finished 16-of-27 for 239 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco's 24-9 win over the Los Angeles Rams. 

On the year, Garoppolo has a 61 percent completion percentage, tossing for 604 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.