No. 1: SF 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
Yes, more chatter about San Francisco considering a trade of its starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the signs are pointing to Jimmy G remaining the starter in 2021. While that’ll cost the SF 49ers $26.4 million, it seems as if they’ll be willing to accept that financial commitment with the understanding there aren’t any clear-cut upgrades available right now.
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But it doesn’t remove the possibility the Niners invest heavily in a prospective quarterback with their top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft while keeping Garoppolo on the interim.
There’s a similar precedent for this back in 2017 when the Kansas City Chiefs already had an established starter, Alex Smith, only to aggressively trade up in Round 1 to grab quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes then sat behind Smith for his rookie year before the Chiefs traded Smith off to Washington in 2018.
Perhaps San Francisco follows a similar path.
Garoppolo enters the final year of his contract in 2022, and a trade early that year would free up $25.6 million in cap space. Even if Jimmy G balls out this season, it’s likely the same discussion about his future will be on the table again this time next year.
All contractual and cap information courtesy of Over the Cap.