49ers rumors: 3 likely trading spots for Jimmy Garoppolo during NFL Draft

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.

49ers Trade Partner No. 3: New England Patriots

Out of all the teams likely hunting for Jimmy G’s services, the New England Patriots have been the most connected. And despite some die-down in the offseason smoke surrounding these rumors and speculation, NBC Sports’ Peter King reopened that Pandora’s Box in his Football Morning in America column from last Monday, which both speculated San Francisco would potentially settle on moving Garoppolo for a second-round pick and linked the Pats back to the quarterback once more:

"It won’t surprise me if the Niners make Jimmy Garoppolo more available than he’s been. In other words, instead of trying to get a first-round pick for him, maybe considering taking a two for him. I wonder if the Patriots would deal the 46th pick in the draft, or their second-rounder in 2022, for their old friend."

A couple of things regarding this.

King’s words, “it wouldn’t surprise me,” aren’t a report from a source or anything like that. It’s speculation. The 49ers moving Garoppolo to the Patriots, reuniting him with his former head coach, Bill Belichick, probably wouldn’t surprise a lot of people.

The other known element is New England would somehow have to absorb Garoppolo’s $23.6 million owed post-trade, according to Over the Cap. With just over $16 million in cap space, the Patriots would either have to engineer some other roster moves or restructure Garoppolo’s contract somehow, making a trade anything but automatic.

Lastly, the Pats are also reportedly high on one of the quarterbacks the Niners could target in the NFL Draft, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, adding yet another pre-draft wrinkle into the mix.

Are the Niners being coy about their interest in Fields, only to take him and then dangle Garoppolo to New England? Perhaps. Only Kyle Shanahan would know for sure.

But still, the Patriots have to be on the list of possible Garoppolo suitors on draft day until the picks are made in Round 1.

49ers Trade Partner No. 2: Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are at that crossroads point where they have to decide whether or not keeping quarterback Drew Lock, their second-round pick from the 2019 NFL Draft, is the right move or if moving on from him sooner than later would make more sense.

In some ways, replacing Lock now has some merits. His maturation and development haven’t suggested he’s going to be able to perennially compete with the two other top-end quarterbacks within the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. Yet with a questionable supporting cast and a still-young core of offensive players around him, perhaps Lock deserves one more chance.

That’s Denver’s problem, ultimately, yet at least according to The Dan Sileo Show, the Broncos are actively bidding for Jimmy Garoppolo’s services:

For some additional context, KOA Colorado’s Benjamin Allbright shut down Sileo’s report shortly thereafter, so make of Sileo’s initial rumor assessment what you wish.

At the same time, however, the Broncos are being linked to a possible new quarterback acquisition anyway, suggesting they’re willing to entertain the idea Lock isn’t the long-term answer. And with the already-established trade rapport Denver has with the 49ers, specifically John Lynch, the idea the Niners would entertain a trade offer from the Broncos for Garoppolo does carry some weight.

Should this happen, it would likely take place after Denver has made its first-round selection at No. 9 overall. Whether the Broncos trade up or have a Round 1 quarterback fall to them will likely determine the course of action, so refuting Sileo’s report of an already-offered second-round pick makes sense in that regard, too.

But if Denver doesn’t get “its guy” in the first round, Garoppolo being sent off via a trade would certainly be a possibility.

49ers Trade Partner No. 1: Chicago Bears

While both the Patriots and Broncos have good enough reasons to inquire about a would-be trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, one of the teams that make the most sense to ask the Niners is the Chicago Bears.

New England and Denver are both in better positions to either trade up for one of the top quarterbacks in the draft or hopefully let someone slip to them at pick Nos. 15 and 9, respectively. The Bears, meanwhile, don’t have much of a shot at this at No. 20 overall. At least not by mortgaging off a significant chunk of their draft capital for the next few seasons.

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But with head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on the hot seat in 2021, and with rostered quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Nick Foles surely not the answers, a move for Garoppolo could be the best plausible move to get Chicago’s offense back to some form of respectability.

It’s been discussed before, too, by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco:

"From the Bears, a deal for Garoppolo could net them 2019 third-rounder David Montgomery, a pass-catching running back who fits Shanahan’s scheme, and the No. 83 overall pick. The 49ers would almost certainly be open to considering any trade involving Garoppolo — if the price is right."

Garoppolo is from the Chicago area and still has family close by, so that alone might be attractive enough for him to waive his no-trade clause. Meanwhile, San Francisco’s reported softening on an asking price, as suggested by Peter King, could mean a third-round pick in return would be enough to send back to the 49ers. Especially if another player is involved.

Regardless, if any Garoppolo trade is to take place, it would likely happen after Round 1 is complete. Or at the very least, towards the tail end of it after teams like the Patriots, Broncos and Bears have made their first-round selections and the dust from the first round has mostly settled.