49ers news: 5 possible trade partners for Jimmy Garoppolo

49ers Trade Partner No. 5: Miami Dolphins

There are plenty of quarterback-hungry teams out there, yes. But teams like the New Orleans Saints are going to be awfully financially strapped to afford Jimmy Garoppolo’s 2022 cap hit, assuming a restructure isn’t in place and Garoppolo agrees to waive his no-trade clause, likely affected by the finances anyway.

Then, when it comes to the Miami Dolphins, so much is at play because of their uncertain future with their 2020 first-round NFL Draft pick, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose recent injury is just the latest in a long line of question marks as to whether or not he’ll be the long-term solution under center.

Miami is projected to have nearly $79 million in cap space for 2022, per Over the Cap, largely aided by Tagovailoa being on his rookie contract. And the Dolphins could use next year’s first-round pick, the one acquired from the 49ers in the Trey Lance trade, to grab another rookie to replace Tagovailoa, too. All that is very much up in the air.

Still, even if Miami envisions grabbing a rookie in Round 1, having a veteran placeholder for next season, even at a high cost, could make sense in a transitional period.

Especially if the Dolphins fail to make a move with the next possible trade partner on this list, the Houston Texans.