SF 49ers: Pros, cons behind a Jimmy Garoppolo trade

Cons of an SF 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo trade

The need to win now

Jimmy Garoppolo is a competent quarterback, and we’ve seen the team get to the Super Bowl on the back of this before. There are those who blame Garoppolo for the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, but truthfully that’s a disgustingly simplified and downright inaccurate description of what happened.

The team was in a position to win, and the defense couldn’t hold off Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes any longer. No team in the playoffs could despite the Chiefs being down by double digits in every single playoff game that season.

Live Feed

Just Blog Baby

The team is in a position to win now. The team can do it under Garoppolo, and it would be foolish to trade him unless there was a plan in place.

Locker room morale

Garoppolo is a popular player in the locker room, and it shows with the zeal in which his teammates defend him to the media.

While this isn’t enough on its own to not trade Garoppolo if the right opportunity came about, the team must be careful not to disrupt the strong longer room culture that’s been cultivated unless there’s a good reason to.

Jimmy Garoppolo deserves a second chance

Now we come to the crux of the matter: Garoppolo got to the Super Bowl in 2019, got injured (among several other players) in 2020 and he’s now not good enough.

Now it’s true Garoppolo hasn’t shown the necessary progression to be elite. That much is undisputed. But it’s also undisputed that he’s done enough through the years as a starter.

The SF 49ers offense doesn’t need an elite passer, it just needs a competent one. Garoppolo is competent, albeit overpaid. He fits the system well, and his teammates support him.

He never got a chance to develop chemistry with new players such as wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and backup tight end Jordan Reed. He’s still young enough to develop a rapport with new players, and even develop to even better than just ok.

Unless someone like Deshaun Watson falls into the lap of Kyle Shanahan, why waste time looking at quarterbacks that likely won’t improve the team and would have to learn a new system?