49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo Talks Trade Destination: I Want to Go 'Where They Want to Win'

Jimmy Garoppolo can see the writing on the wall regarding his time with the San Francisco 49ers.

The 30-year-old is still under contract for the 2022 season but sounded like somebody who knows he'll soon be headed for a new team. He told reporters Tuesday he "just want[s] to go to a place where they want to win."

Garoppolo confirmed his representatives were working with San Francisco to facilitate a trade. If push comes to shove, the team could release him outright and save $25.5 million while adding only $1.4 million in dead money to its 2022 salary cap, per Spotrac.

The 49ers were clearly planning to pivot in another direction when they traded up to select Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft.

Unlike Aaron Rodgers, who put together back-to-back MVP-caliber seasons after the Green Bay Packers identified his potential successor, Garoppolo hasn't provided San Francisco with a compelling reason to think he's even a short-term solution beyond 2021.

The veteran signal-caller threw for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 68.3 percent of his passes. The Niners went 9-6 in his 15 starts.

Garoppolo's problem is that he's merely a decent quarterback at a time when that's not good enough for a franchise with championship aspirations.

His limitations have been laid bare in the postseason. He has averaged 160.3 yards per game and thrown for four touchdowns and six interceptions in six playoff appearances with the 49ers.

It's almost too on the nose that Garoppolo's last pass with San Francisco is likely to be a bad interception that helped seal a 20-17 defeat in the NFC Championship Game.

When they acquired him from the New England Patriots and signed him to a five-year, $137.5 million extension, the Niners clearly believed Garoppolo was the kind of QB who could get them over the top.

That didn't happen, and it seems unlikely he'll have a major breakthrough at this point in his career.

Assuming he can stay healthy—not a sure bet since he has made 10-plus starts just twice in his four years as a starter—Garoppolo will nevertheless be a good stopgap for a team that's building for future or simply looking to end a playoff drought. 

Plus, he'll be carrying a massive chip on his shoulder to prove his skeptics wrong in 2022.