With San Francisco 49ers training camp slated to get going here soon, a potential Jimmy Garoppolo trade will be the talk of the NFL water cooler.
Garoppolo just recently began throwing after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery. Said surgery delayed a potential trade through the spring months. With San Francisco slated to start Trey Lance, Garoppolo has no future in Northern California.
At issue here is a lack of a market for the injury-plagued Super Bowl quarterback. That’s especially true after the Carolina Panthers traded for Baker Mayfield earlier in July.
We’re now hearing reports that one surprising team could have interest in Garoppolo. That comes in the form of the New York Giants.
“I initially thought Brian [Daboll] would make a move for Mitchell Trubisky when he was available because you don’t necessarily know what you have in Daniel Jones. Now with Jimmy, I think the issue is his shoulder. No one really knows. I think what teams are going to do is wait until the first or second preseason game — if Jimmy gets in for San Francisco — and just kind of see. Like, does he look healthy? And then I think that’s when you might see the Giants make a move.”
NFL Media’s David Carr on New York Giants interest in Jimmy Garoppolo
The Giants are slated to go with the struggling Daniel Jones under center in 2022. The former top-six pick just has not panned out after New York selected him from Duke back in 2019.
First-year Giants general manager Joe Schoen and rookie head coach Brian Daboll have no built-in relationship with Jones. New York also declined his player option for the 2023 campaign, meaning that Jones will hit free agency next March.
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Jimmy Garoppolo would be an upgrade for the New York Giants
Despite his limitations, Jimmy GQ would be a marked upgrade over Jones in Jersey. It’s not even really up for debate. We’re talking about a veteran who has posted a 33-14 record as a starter throughout his career. The Giants have won 12 of Jones’ 37 starts in three seasons.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (2021): 68% completion, 3,810 yards, 20 TD, 12 INT, 98.7 QB rating
- Daniel Jones stats (2021): 64% completion, 2,428 yards, 10 TD, 7 INT, 84.8 QB rating
Some will point to San Francisco’s status as a Super Bowl contender in two of the past three seasons. It’s not fair to compare his situation to Jones in New York. While that’s fine, the track record is obviously there.
New York has also built up a pretty solid group of skill-position players — something that’s needed due to Garoppolo’s limitations. With coordinator Mike Kafka calling the shots on offense, this system can work to the quarterback’s strengths.
Related: Seattle Seahawks have done homework on QB Jimmy Garoppolo, trade would be ‘tricky’
Jimmy Garoppolo trade would come cheap
New York currently finds itself $8.35 million under the cap heading into training camp. It will not be able to take on the $24.2 million cap hit that would come with acquiring Garoppolo.
The good news? Garoppolo and his camp are willing to renegotiate his contract. In fact, San Francisco has given the quarterback permission to discuss terms with interested teams. In short, he can sign an extension that would substantially lower that 2022 cap number.
As for compensation potentially headed back to San Francisco, it likely wouldn’t be more than a conditional mid-round pick at this point. That’s cheap for a starter-caliber quarterback.
New York could also potentially decide to offer up Saquon Barkley in a player-for-player swap. Following two injury-plagued campaigns, Barkley’s future with the Giants is clearly up in the air. Just some food for thought.