Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is about to find out what a quarterback’s true value is in NFL free agency.
The soon-to-be former San Francisco 49ers signal caller was hampered by injury at this point last offseason when rumors linking him to a potential trade surfaced.
While the Super Bowl quarterback did miss the second half of the 2022 campaign to another injury, his situation has changed dramatically. Garoppolo, 31, is slated to hit NFL free agency in March. This became guaranteed after he signed a restructured contract to remain in San Francisco ahead of the 2022 season. Said deal included a no-franchise tag clause.
With a number of teams set to look for an upgrade at quarterback, Garoppolo is seemingly headed for a robust market.
NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported recently that Garoppolo is expected to have “significant” interest from teams around the league once March comes calling. The NFL insider specifically pointed to the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as options.
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Jimmy Garoppolo’s free agent market
Garoppolo has connections with four of the five teams mentioned above:
- New York Jets: New York head coach Robert Saleh spent 3.5 seasons with Garoppolo in San Francisco, serving as the team’s defensive coordinator in the process. They are said to be looking for an upgrade over Zach Wilson with Aaron Rodgers being a primary target. Garoppolo wouldn’t be a bad backup plan.
- Tennessee Titans: New Titans general manager Ran Carthon served in the 49ers’ front office from 2017-22. He was part of the decision-making process that brought Jimmy Garoppolo from the England Patriots in a trade midway through the 2017 season.
- Houston Texans: General manager Nick Caserio was with the Patriots when they selected Garoppolo in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was also among those who pushed back against dealing Jimmy GQ to San Francisco in the first place. Meanwhile, new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans served as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
- Las Vegas Raiders: This one seems pretty obvious. Garoppolo worked under Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels when the latter was New England’s offensive coordinator earlier in his career. Vegas general manager Dave Ziegler was also a part of the decision-making process that led to New England selecting Garoppolo back in 2014.
The only outlier here is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that has to find a replacement for the recently retired Tom Brady. Reportedly, Tampa is an option for the veteran.
Outside of these connections, Garoppolo’s track record speaks for itself. Not only is he 40-17 as a starter in the NFL, but the two-time Super Bowl champion has also played pretty well when he’s actually suited up recently.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (past 19 starts): 68% completion, 4,493 yards, 30 total TD, 11 INT, 103.2 QB rating
With a market that’s going to be robust for quarterbacks, Garoppolo could benefit big time. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he earned north of $30 million annually on a longer-term contract.
Just don’t expect it to include a return to Northern California.