San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will likely get the start this coming Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts.
Garoppolo missed San Francisco’s Week 5 outing against the Arizona Cardinals with a calf injury. Coming off a bye, the expectation is that he’ll take over for rookie Trey Lance under center as San Francisco hits must-win mode.
In Cleveland, there’s growing talk that star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is nearing the end of his disappointing tenure with the Browns. A three-time Pro Bowl performer during his time with the New York Giants, the 28-year-old Beckham Jr. has recorded just 14 receptions for 203 yards in four games this season.
In talking to Mike Sando of The Athletic, one unnamed NFL executive brought up the possibility that Jimmy Garoppolo could be dealt to Cleveland for a package including Odell Beckham Jr. ahead of the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline.
“What if Cleveland traded Odell (Beckham) straight up for Garoppolo? Would San Francisco do that? I actually don’t know how many teams would want Odell. It’s a big win for Cleveland if they can get his money off the books,” the executive said.
This is actually a really interesting scenario, one that could make sense for both teams in a vacuum.
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Why would the Cleveland Browns trade Odell Beckham Jr. for Jimmy Garoppolo?
Financially, this would be a boon for Cleveland. Beckham Jr. is under contract for the next two seasons with a $30 million cap hit. Garoppolo has a $27 million cap hit for next season, of which the Browns could save $25.6 million by trading or releasing him.
Meanwhile, current starting quarterback Baker Mayfield has been dealing with injuries throughout the entire campaign. The former No. 1 pick has a completely torn labrum in his left throwing shoulder. While he wants to continue playing, getting insurance would make a bunch of sense. That’s especially true given that the Browns still fancy themselves as Super Bowl contenders despite a 3-3 start to the season.
Garoppolo would be a stopgap option in an offense he’s familiar with until Mayfield returns at 100%. Even if it’s for just a few games, that could give the Browns’ current starter time to recover. In turn, the Browns would probably end up netting something for Garoppolo in a trade this off-season while moving off Beckham’s albatross of a contract.
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Does this make sense for the San Francisco 49ers?
It’s all about where the 49ers are after Week 7. A home loss to the Colts this coming Sunday night would push San Francisco to 2-4 on the campaign and represent a fourth consecutive defeat for a team that thought it was a contender.
At that point, it would be all about looking forward to the future. If so, rookie No. 3 pick Trey Lance has to see substantive action throughout the remainder of the season. Remember, the 49ers didn’t restructure Garoppolo’s contract last off-season because they wanted to have the ability to move off him following the 2021 campaign.
From a logical perspective, San Francisco’s brass has been chasing after Odell Beckham Jr. dating back to his days with the Giants. While the receiver has seen injuries derail a once-promising career, that could still be the case.
Moving Jimmy Garoppolo for OBJ and likely draft pick compensation could make sense for San Francisco next season and beyond. The hope in Northern California is that he’d be able to stay healthy and team up with Deebo Samuel to form a solid wide receiver duo for the aforementioned Lance in 2022 and beyond.
Stranger things have happened!