NFL Trade Rumors: 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo Linked to Saints amid Buzz on QB's Future

Jimmy Garoppolo helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game this past season, and he has reportedly been linked to another NFC contender with his future in question this offseason.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler suggested the "wildest rumor" he heard at the NFL Scouting Combine was the pairing of Garoppolo with the New Orleans Saints.

"This would be a surprise since many around the league expect Jameis Winston to return to the Saints," he wrote. "But if [Aaron] Rodgers and [Russell] Wilson aren't moved, Garoppolo becomes one of the top options available. Maybe New Orleans at least kicks this idea around."

There are health questions surrounding both Winston and Garoppolo since the former is coming off a torn ACL and the latter is undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason, which 49ers general manager John Lynch confirmed on Good Morning Football. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the expectation is Garoppolo should be able to start throwing again before July 4. Schefter also noted there remains "significant interest" in the signal-caller around the league despite the shoulder issue.

That San Francisco appears to be moving on from the veteran is not a surprise since it selected Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft after moving up to do so. Lance is the future even if he didn't see significant playing time during his rookie season.

Garoppolo himself even told reporters, "I knew this would happen eventually." 

While there are fair concerns about his overall ceiling, especially coming off a talented 49ers team that seemed to scheme around him at times, he completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2021.

He is a playoff-tested veteran who has been to the Super Bowl and is someone who could step into a formidable Saints offense that features Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas and presumably get the ball into the playmakers' hands and get out of the way like he did with Deebo Samuel and Greg Kittle in San Francisco.

New Orleans missed the playoffs last season at 9-8 but likely would have made it with even solid quarterback play behind Winston. After all, it was 5-2 in games he started and 4-6 in games he didn't as Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill and Ian Book failed to lead the team to the postseason.

Garoppolo is never going to be confused for a Patrick Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers, but he is talented and proven enough to have the Saints fighting for playoff position if they choose to pursue him this offseason.