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Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Rumors: 49ers Believe He's a Good QB Who Should Have Suitors
May 1, 2022
The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly still trying to trade Jimmy Garoppolo and expect a bigger market for the veteran quarterback, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained Sunday on SportsCenter:
"Where the 49ers don't want to trade Deebo Samuel, they definitely have interest in trading Jimmy Garoppolo, who's got $26 million on the books and they believe he's a good quarterback who should have suitors.
"The problem remains that he's got that shoulder issue that he had surgery on. He won't be able to throw until the summer, so there was never going to be any urgency around Garoppolo during draft time. But the Panthers, they drafted Matt Corral in the third round, they could always circle back here with Garoppolo closer to the summer, see if the price tag is right. But the 49ers are pretty much set on moving forward with Trey Lance as their starting quarterback next year."
San Francisco has been looking to trade Garoppolo for much of the offseason, but a shoulder injury has limited the market for the 30-year-old. Even head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted in March that the surgery delayed potential trade talks, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Garoppolo has a $26.95 million cap hit for 2022, but the team would save $25.55 million by either trading or releasing the player, per Spotrac.
With 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance expected to take over at quarterback, the 49ers appear likely to move Garoppolo before the start of the season. The team also added depth with seventh-round pick Brock Purdy.
Garoppolo said he expects to be healthy by training camp, per Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, which could help advance trade talks. Of course, the new problem is the limited number of teams that still need help at quarterback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in Round 1, while the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders were among those who took quarterbacks on Day 2 and 3.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported the Houston Texans could be in the mix for Garoppolo, although they could stick with Davis Mills under center.
The Seattle Seahawks could also use an upgrade at quarterback, but the 49ers might not want to trade within the division.
It leaves few potential landing spots for a quarterback who made 15 starts last year, totaling 3,810 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and a 98.7 passer rating. He led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game last postseason, two years after reaching the Super Bowl.
The 49ers will likely wait for a bigger market to emerge before giving up on the experienced passer.