San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is one of the biggest names already being floated in NFL trade rumors who everyone expects to be moved. Unfortunately for San Francisco, even a market filled with teams desperate for a better starter might not generate the level of interest it wants.
The 49ers refused to trade Garoppolo after drafting Trey Lance and held their commitment to using the 2021 season as the equivalent of a redshirt year for the rookie. Garoppolo held his own as a starter and posted a strong record, but an NFC Championship Game loss to the Los Angeles Rams confirmed all the reasons Kyle Shanahan wants to make a quarterback change.
As soon as the offseason began, San Francisco opened its phone lines for teams interested in Garoppolo. The franchise is trying to do right by the quarterback who helped them reach a Super Bowl, seeking out a specific situation that is right for him.
Unfortunately for the 49ers and their 30-year-old quarterback, it seems there isn’t exactly an overwhelming amount of interest in the veteran.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, there is only ‘lukewarm’ interest around the league in Garoppolo.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (2021): 3,810 passing yards, 20-12 TD-INT, 68.3% completion rate
It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Many NFL fans and analysts view Garoppolo’s success as a product of the talent around him and Shanahan’s system. Teams that spend months evaluating every quarterback, studying countless hours of film, likely draw the same conclusion.
Realistically, San Francisco might need to cover a portion of Garoppolo’s salary. While a $26.95 million cap hit certainly doesn’t make him one of the highest-paid NFL players, potential suitors who could view him as an upgrade (Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers) are tight against the salary cap.
As a result, there’s a possibility that the best return for a Jimmy Garoppolo trade is a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
