Everyone has known ever since the conclusion of the San Francisco 49ers’ 2021-22 season on January 30 that Jimmy Garoppolo is destined to be traded. It’s just a matter of when.
Jimmy G had to undergo surgery on his throwing shoulder on March 8, which apparently has caused some teams to hesitate to move forward with a trade.
Garoppolo is still rehabbing his shoulder and as the 49ers get ready to open minicamp on June 14, the team has let the quarterback know he’s been excused from attending the upcoming practices as they continue to work toward a trade.
Jimmy G trade more likely to happen once he’s healthy
The expectation continues to be that the 49ers will ramp up trade efforts even further once Garoppolo is back to 100%, and its possible teams will have more interest in the QB once he’s been given a clean bill of health.
With few NFL teams in search of a new starting quarterback before the 2022 season gets underway, it would appear that the 49ers won’t have many suitors if Garoppolo is expected to step right back into a starting situation, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be interest in the veteran QB.
And with all other NFL teams ramping up their offseason activity, there’s always a possibility another franchise’s anointed starter gets hurt, creating an unexpected need elsewhere.
For now, the 49ers are holding onto Garoppolo and his $24.2 million base salary, which is not guaranteed, meaning they can release or trade him at any time and gain roughly that same amount in cap space back.
It’s possible Garoppolo will be able to throw the ball again around the beginning of July, but for now, it’s the Trey Lance show in the bay area.
Related: Carolina Panthers ‘won’t make a run’ at Jimmy Garoppolo trade