We’ve all heard the Jimmy Garoppolo trade rumors by now. But not San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. He hasn’t heard a thing.
Despite Jimmy G being on the trade block since the offseason began, no suitor has stepped up just yet. While an offseason shoulder surgery may have caused some hesitancy across NFL front offices, and maybe Garoppolo’s $24.2 million salary doesn’t help either, it’s strange for the former starter to linger on the roster while Trey Lance tries to make the team his.
But Shanahan’s focused on getting Lance up to speed, and getting the most out of the other 88 players on the roster. He’s not worried or even thinking about a Garoppolo trade. That decision is 100% up to general manager John Lynch.
So when Shanahan says he hasn’t heard any Garoppolo trade talk, it’s because that’s not his business, it’s not in his job description to trade players.
As Shanahan gets his team ready for their first preseason game on Friday, he was asked by local reporters if there’s been any trade interest in the team’s 2021 starting QB thus far.
“I believe that goes on with his agents, but none that I hear of.”
Kyle SHanahan on if he’s heard Jimmy Garoppolo trade chatter
Yeah, even if he had heard of specific teams with interest, there’s no reason for Shanahan to drop that to the media. There’s definitely been trade discussions, but it’s been more difficult to determine just who may emerge with the greatest desire to fill their needs.
Obviously Garoppolo deserves to be one of the 32 NFL starting quarterbacks. It’s only a matter of time before he lands with a new team, but the longer we wait, the tougher it will be to make an immediate impact.
Maybe the 49ers have a ridiculous asking price for Garoppolo, but of all teams, they know what he’s capable of. It doesn’t make sense to trade him for pennies. Especially when they don’t even know if their 2022 starter can be any better.
Related: Why the Washington Commanders should trade for Jimmy Garoppolo