49ers rumors: 3 likely trading spots for Jimmy Garoppolo during NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
There’s growing buzz the 49ers are looking to move Jimmy Garoppolo sooner than later, and these three destinations seem to be at the forefront.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t necessarily sound off words of endorsement for his current starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, during the team’s pre-2021 NFL Draft press conference on Monday.
Specifically, Shanahan’s response to a reporter’s question asking whether or not Garoppolo would be on the Niners roster this Sunday after the draft’s conclusion.
Shanahan’s words were, um… provocative:
"I can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive Sunday, so I can’t guarantee who will be on our roster on Sunday. So, that goes for all of us."
People will read into this however they want. But the words do differ from the earlier statements Shanahan and general manager John Lynch made in their previous presser mere days after San Francisco traded up from No. 12 overall in the NFL Draft to No. 3.
In that press conference, Shanahan’s words were much more directed towards keeping Garoppolo than moving him sooner than later.
Or even just being “alive on Sunday”:
"We’ve got a guy in here who we know we can win with, a guy that our players love, that we love and we’re excited to have [Garoppolo] this year and we’re excited to have a hell of a quarterback right behind him learning for when the time is his."
Either way, Shanahan’s tone has changed. And it’s likely the context has changed, too. Trying to read between the lines of Shanahan’s comments on Monday, one could come to the conclusion the 49ers are more open to moving Garoppolo via a trade sooner than later, certainly not waiting until after the 2021 season when whichever quarterback selected on April 29 has had a full year to mature and develop as Jimmy G’s backup.
What’s going on in Shanahan and Garoppolo’s minds right now is anyone’s guess. But based on the recent trade speculation, rumors and buzz around the league, these three teams could end up being landing spots for Garoppolo should the Niners try moving him in the middle of the draft.