SF 49ers: 3 hypothetical trade scenarios for Texans QB Deshaun Watson
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: SF 49ers move Jimmy Garoppolo, draft picks to Houston
If the Niners somehow acquire Deshaun Watson, they’ll no longer have a need for their current starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Texans are going to ask for some significant draft compensation even if a high-profile player is part of the package, and any would-be deal (including Garoppolo) has to include multiple first-round picks.
Plus, there’s the caveat of Jimmy G’s no-trade clause, essentially meaning he’d have to approve the trade.
But it might be smart for Garoppolo to do so. He’d retain his $24.1 million base salary in Houston while getting to reunite with a former staffer he knew with the New England Patriots, now-Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who might view Garoppolo as a good-enough centerpiece around which to build an offense.
That might be reason enough for Garoppolo to waive the no-trade clause.
From a financial standpoint, San Francisco would clear that cap space while taking in Watson’s would-be $15.9 million total cap hit in 2021 — significantly less than what Garoppolo is scheduled to make.
Watson’s contract numbers in 2022 get tricky, as he’s scheduled to earn up to $40.4 million. But the SF 49ers could hope for a drastic increase in the salary cap while banking their hopes on Watson being the final piece needed for perennial Super Bowl contention.