At the start of the offseason, it looked like the most likely quarterback to switch teams was Jimmy Garoppolo. It doesn’t look like anyone is hiding an impending deal after the end of the San Francisco 49ers season.
However, Garoppolo is still with the 49ers and there is no obvious potential landing spot.
Monday’s activity included trading Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, Marcus Mariota replacing Ryan to the Atlanta Falcons, and Jameis Winston re-signing with the New Orleans Saints. It’s late in March and most teams have quarterbacks.
Garoppolo has not yet been sold. It’s hard to see how the 49ers will get rid of him at this point.
Jimmy Garoppolo Shopping Market
Every team that at some point this month seemed like a potential Garoppolo trade has been crossed off the list.
The Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers remained with the Green Bay Packers, the Cleveland Browns acquired Deshawn Watson, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Mitchell Trubisky, and Kirk Cousins signed a contract extension with the Minnesota Vikings. The Washington Commanders traded a lot for Carson Wentz. Tom Brady retired to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Colts, Falcons and Saints then settled for QB on Monday. Most of the places are occupied.
The Seattle Seahawks need a quarterback, and while intra-division trading isn’t unprecedented, it’s rare. This matchup makes sense, but it will require an intra-divisional Garoppolo trade and the Seahawks wanting Garoppolo.
The Carolina Panthers are looking for an upgrade, but are they willing to trade draft assets for the 49ers right after they did the same for Sam Darnold a year ago? Possibly, but that’s too much choice and money to put into a quarterback without coming out with a top option.
The Houston Texans also need a quarterback, but adding Garoppolo doesn’t make much sense for a rebuilding team. Davis Mills, a rookie last season, showed great promise. But these are Texans, and it doesn’t look like their plan has made much sense over the past few years. Everything is possible.
The story goes on
No other team clearly needs a quarterback, though teams like the Detroit Lions or the Falcons might decide their current starter is better as a backup and make a move. You might think that Garoppolo is better than Trubisky, Winston or whatever, but these teams have already made up their minds. If they wanted to go to Garoppolo, they would.
Jimmy Garoppolo has not yet been traded to the 49ers. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo’s future with the 49ers
If Garoppolo is not traded, he may return to the 49ers. It would be a little strange.
While Garoppolo said no doors were closed during his end-of-season press conference, he spoke about how he appreciated the relationship he had forged and how sad he was that it was ending. He made no secret of the fact that the deal seemed (at least at the time) a lock.
“I talked to John [Lynch, 49ers GM] yesterday about how to find the right destination and whatever the future holds, just do it right,” Garoppolo said in January. “I have a long career ahead of me. So I’m excited about it. Excited about the possibilities ahead. I just want to go where they want to win.”
Maybe that place is San Francisco. Trey Lance was selected third overall last season and it seems wild that he’ll sit another year, especially with Garoppolo’s ups and downs, but the 49ers might not just cut out Garoppolo. They are fine with the salary cap. While keeping Garoppolo with a cap of almost $27 million isn’t ideal, they kept Garoppolo last season despite drafting Lance when other teams could have left. At the very least, the 49ers can wait and see if injuries open up trade opportunities down the road.
Of all the potential scenarios that could unfold while the quarterback’s carousel was spinning, the 49ers stuck with Garoppolo seemed one of the most unlikely. However, this may be the only option.