Niner Noise
FanSided

2018 NFL free agency: Predicting which players the 49ers re-sign or let walk

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Carlos Hyde
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Carlos Hyde /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 13
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

The $64 question — what happens with Jimmy Garoppolo and his contract situation this offseason?

To ease your worries, he’ll be in a Niners uniform in 2018. The only question is how and for how much?

General manager John Lynch noted the 49ers are hard at work trying to get a deal done. If they can’t by March 6, they’ll apply the franchise tag on Garoppolo. They’ll still have until the middle of July to negotiate a long-term extension. But if no deal is reached, Garoppolo will play all of 2018 on the one-year tender.

More from Niner Noise

It’s likely Garoppolo and his agent, Don Yee, are waiting to let the offseason quarterback market play itself out. And as Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman pointed out, there’s a chance Garoppolo winds up being the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback before too long.

Fortunately, San Francisco is in a position, financially, to spend big bucks. And the market value on QBs is only going to rise the next few seasons, making a 2018 lucrative deal for Garoppolo not seem so painful.

Still, signing a long-term deal is better for both parties. It just won’t happen right away, not until after the March 6 deadline.

Next: Why it's taking so long for the 49ers to reach a deal with Jimmy Garoppolo

Prediction: The 49ers place a franchise tag on Jimmy Garoppolo, eventually signing him to a five-year, $130 million deal before the July 16 cutoff point.