MMQB: 49ers' Plan Was to Trade Jimmy Garoppolo After Rodgers, Top QBs Secured Deals

The San Francisco 49ers were reportedly hoping to have already traded Jimmy Garoppolo by now, according to Albert Breer of MMQB.

"The plan, as I've heard it, was to deal him after the big quarterback dominoes ([Deshaun] Watson, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers) fell," Breer wrote.

Breer added that Garoppolo's shoulder injury is the "biggest factor" preventing the 49ers from dealing him. He underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder in March, though he is expected to be cleared by training camp.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler previously reported teams have "legitimate concern" about Garoppolo's shoulder.

Garoppolo has a $26.95 million cap hit for 2022, but the team could save $25.55 million by trading or releasing the 30-year-old this offseason, per Spotrac. 

Breer noted the 49ers were seeking two second-round picks for Garoppolo, but the team could now be forced to release him instead, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

An earlier trade certainly would have been more beneficial for San Francisco when more teams were in the market for a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers signed a new deal to stay with the Green Bay Packers, while the Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, leaving many other needy teams looking for a second-tier option.

Those teams have instead gone in other directions, acquiring players either through trades (Matt Ryan to the Colts, Carson Wentz to the Commanders) or free agency (Mitchell Trubisky to the Steelers, Marcus Mariota to the Falcons).

It leaves few potential landing spots for Garoppolo, especially with organizations likely to seek long-term answers at the position through the upcoming draft.