49ers should be bold, trade Jimmy Garoppolo at 2021 deadline

Should the 49ers finally let Jimmy Garoppolo go via a trade and hand over the keys to the franchise to Trey Lance? We think so.

There are probably a few out there thinking this, but the San Francisco 49ers need to consider pulling the trigger while they still can and cash in on current franchise signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo and hand the keys over to rookie quarterback Trey Lance.

It’s well-noted around the league, that while Jimmy G is not in the upper echelon of starting quarterbacks, he is still a serviceable player who can lead his team to a number of wins under the right conditions.

So it should be noted he would likely not be in any team’s long-term plans, there would be a number of front offices that should consider bringing Garoppolo to their team to either act as a multi-year bridge quarterback, or spot starter used to replace an injured QB. There are even some instances in which a team may want to bring him in to replace a currently healthy, but aging and faltering starter (cough, cough, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger).

The complicated part of a potential deal would be the impending contract that Jimmy G will impose on a team salary cap, especially if they already possess a high-paid starter since Garoppolo will bring with him a hefty cap hit of more than $20 million, per Over the Cap. There would be a possibility in which the 49ers trade Garoppolo but eat a chunk of his salary to make him easier to move, which would probably work since they currently have a rookie on the roster who will at some point need to take the reins anyways.

Still, there are a number of teams that have the need for a player of Garoppolo’s experience who can not only run a complex scheme but manage games at a high level and put his team in a position to win.

Trey Lance makes 49ers’ initial plans for Jimmy Garoppolo obsolete

With the recent calf injury to Garoppolo suffered in Week 4, fans and analysts got to see Lance in action in the Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. And while he definitely looked a little shaky at times, there is no doubting Lance’s bright future with the 49ers as a dual-threat playmaker. His accuracy has been slightly questionable at times, too, but his arm possesses immense strength. He has also been utterly electric as a runner and can easily become this team’s leading rusher for years to come.

Lance actually suffered an injury in the game against Arizona, though, so it’s possible we may see Jimmy G suit back up for the team following their bye week, which will be an Oct. 24 game against the Indianapolis Colts. If this were to happen, it would be the perfect situation to showcase Garoppolo one more time so the Niners can move him for whatever can get instead of cutting the quarterback and getting nothing in return.

Related Story: Jimmy Garoppolo admits 49ers ‘could’ trade him sooner than later

Finally, a painful but obvious issue is the 49ers are currently sitting at 2-3 just beyond the first-quarter mark of the regular season, and they will most likely lose out at both the first and second seeds in the NFC West, which will presumably take them out of playoff contention. It’s hard to see a world where the Niners are suddenly able to dethrone the undefeated Cardinals or bother the high-velocity Los Angeles Rams, so it may be time to consider 2021 a lost season and see what Lance has so they can start planning for the future.

Or, in a brighter world, a season of transition. One that plans for the future with Lance at the helm.

Let’s hope the Niners’ front office pulls the trigger and cashes in on Garoppolo while they still can between now and the NFL trade deadline, which is on Tuesday, Nov. 2.