Teams waiting to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo due to 49ers' cap issues?

At the NFL Scouting Combine last week, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch insisted that multiple teams had expressed interest in acquiring veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as the Niners prepare to make 2021 rookie Trey Lance their new starter. It's presumed such conversations occurred before it was learned Garoppolo required surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder, and it's known such interest was voiced before the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders were removed the Jimmy G. equation. 

With the Commanders surprising many by agreeing to acquire Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts, some have wondered why no team has traded for Garoppolo. Per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, The Athletic's Matt Barrows said during a Thursday appearance on the KNBR "Murph & Mac" show clubs may be waiting because of San Francisco's salary-cap situation. 

As things stand today, the 49ers are nearly $5 million over the cap and must get their books under the cap before the new year opens next Wednesday.

"They move Jimmy Garoppolo, and that's not an issue," Barrows explained during the interview. "He goes away and [frees up] $25 million in cap space. ... My point is I just wonder whether teams are using that deadline as leverage against the 49ers.

"This is maybe one of the reasons—the shoulder being another reason—to sort of drag this out and sort of get them to agree to a deal that doesn't give them quite as much compensation.

"The 49ers can do lots of other things—restructure [tight end] George Kittle. They can extend [safety] Jimmie Ward. They can cut this guy, cut that guy to get under that limit. But they have to be under it by [next] Wednesday, so they have to do a few things that they wouldn't normally want to do, I think, unless they trade Jimmy Garoppolo."

On Wednesday, former 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley, once a teammate of Garoppolo's, suggested the 30-year-old delayed his shoulder surgery until earlier this week possibly to decrease his value on the trade market. Perhaps that reality along with San Francisco's cap issues are why the previously mentioned Colts may believe they could land Garoppolo at a discount early next week.