5 high-priced players SF 49ers might move on from

No. 1: SF 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Average Salary per Year: $27,500,000

The real elephant in the room for the SF 49ers heading towards the offseason is whether or not they stay committed to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Yes, Garoppolo’s split numbers are noticeably down from his 2019 Super Bowl campaign, including a near 10-point drop in his 102.0 passer rating from a year ago and a near full-point increase from his already-high 2.7 interception percentage from last season. And then there’s the question of whether Kyle Shanahan feels Garoppolo is holding back what the Niners offense could be with a more decisive and capable quarterback.

True, San Francisco moving on from Jimmy G would prompt some exceptional changes and would like alter any perception of the current Super Bowl window. But as NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco told KNBR 680, the thought of the SF 49ers moving on seems notably high:

Then there’s the contractual reality. Garoppolo is scheduled to make up to $26.9 million in 2021 and could command up to 15 percent of the team’s cap space. Cutting or trading him would free up $24.1 million at a dead-money loss of $2.8 million.

With that space, it would be far easier for San Francisco to sign a good portion of its pending free agents while also tabbing extra cash to re-sign players like Fred Warner and, eventually, Nick Bosa.

Again, it’s a tough call. Garoppolo arguably gives the SF 49ers the best chance to win games out of any available quarterback out there, certainly on the team’s roster and likely among those available on the open market in 2021. And he hasn’t exactly had a great hand with an injury-riddled offense, including his own high-ankle sprains that shelved him on injured reserve.

But if the Niners are poised to think more long term, moving on from Jimmy G could be an essential reality as Maiocco suggested.

All cap figures and player-contract totals courtesy of Over the Cap.