When the San Francisco 49ers sent the New England Patriots what promises to be a high second-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo, the expectation was that he’d become their franchise quarterback.
We’re not too sure how this will all play out. Garoppolo is set to become a free agent following this season. That’s the only real reason New England decided to deal him this past Monday. Short of the youngster and his new team coming to terms on an in-season extension, decisions will have to be made leading into the spring.
Now, according to this one report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there’s a possibility San Francisco decides to place the franchise tag on Garoppolo and then trade him to the highest suitor.
“If the 49ers decide to not sign Garoppolo to a long-term deal, they could use a franchise tag on him and then dangle him to the highest bidder in a trade,” Schefter reported. “If they were to do that, there would be interest, sources said, and they could possibly get back more than the second-round pick they surrendered.”
The NFL insider also indicated that San Francisco might still be in play for Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. That’s obviously dependent on how the Garoppolo situation plays out.
As of right now, there’s no guarantee the former second-round pick will see the field for the 49ers this season. Then again, he could play as early as Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Everything appears to be up in the air right now.
But let’s call a spade a spade. Schefter’ report likely includes sources from Santa Clara. It’s a way to potentially drive down Garoppolo’s asking price in contract talks that will take place for the remainder of the season.