The 49ers would like to trade Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, and he surely has his list of preferred destinations, too, creating some speculation.
If you were San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, you’d be aware of a number of things.
For starters, you know all too well you’re a lame-duck quarterback, holding down the starting job only until the Niners are ready to begin fielding rookie quarterback Trey Lance, the prospect your team aggressively traded up to No. 3 overall in last April’s NFL Draft to grab.
You’re also aware San Francisco, despite having an increased salary cap across the league in 2022, has a projected $12.77 million in cap space for next season, per Over the Cap, and a slew of other pending free agents, roster needs and players needing to be extended, making your own $27 million cap hit a proverbial “elephant in the room.”
On top of that, you’re fully aware you’re not going to get that kind of money on the open market regardless of whether or not the 2022 quarterbacking market is shaky, thin and has few ideal prospects available early in the upcoming NFL Draft. Even if the 49ers elect to trade you, an accepting team is likely wanting to renegotiate a deal to lessen that would-be cap hit.
The Niners ideally want to get some assets in return, and you’re not totally sure what your free-agent value would be anyway.
So, you might be willing to waive your no-trade clause if you wind up going to a preferred destination.
Let’s take a look at some of Garoppolo’s potential preferences for an offseason trade.
No. 5: Jimmy Garoppolo to the Houston Texans
This wouldn’t be your primary preferred destination as a trade commodity. After all, the Houston Texans have the unfortunate distinction of being the first NFL team this season to be fully eliminated from playoff contention, and it’s highly likely first-year head coach David Culley is a one-and-done play-caller.
Being Jimmy Garoppolo, though, you hold onto your prior relationships from your New England Patriots days, and you recall working with former Pats front-office staffer, now-Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who at least tried to put a run-first system together in Houston that you could thrive with.
You also know fully well the Texans aren’t banking on veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor sticking around, and the early indications are rookie QB Davis Mills aren’t too promising either, all the while fully understanding three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson has all but played his final game in Houston.
The Texans, in line for at least a top-five draft pick in 2022, the first of four current selections in the first three rounds, are likely to get something ideal via a trade of Watson this offseason. And while your 30-year-old self won’t ideally want to wait two or three years before Houston is competitive again, at least you can take comfort knowing your $25.6 million post-trade cap hit should be somewhat safe with a Texans team that currently projects to have over $38 million in cap space next year before parting ways with Watson.
You’d be the clear-cut starter, the anchor of a rebuilding franchise eager to spend money.
No. 4: Jimmy Garoppolo to the Carolina Panthers
If you’re Jimmy Garoppolo, you could potentially be a bit leery at the Carolina Panthers firing offensive coordinator Joe Brady amid a 5-7 start to the season that had so much promise.
That could be the last straw before head coach Matt Rhule also gets his own plug pulled, creating some uncertainty for this next potential destination. But you understand a few clear things here, including the fact Rhule has generally been successful rebuilding programs wherever he’s gone, and it might only take a brief kickstart again before Carolina returns to being competitive.
Oh, and having a (hopefully) healthy running back in Christian McCaffrey returning in 2022 sure sounds enticing, too.
If Rhule is gone, though, you’re aware the Panthers aren’t going to commit to Cam Newton long term and surely are giving up on their offseason pickup from 2021, Sam Darnold, meaning you’d be pegged as the surefire starter, joining a squad that has McCaffrey to spark the ground game, along with a top-10 defense.
Sounds like your prime 49ers days, right?
Carolina has nearly $30 million in cap space and a talented enough roster to compete in a bad NFC South, and your former Patriots teammate, Tom Brady, isn’t going to keep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the division forever.
In 2022, at least, you’ll relish the opportunity to face him twice on the field.
No. 3: Jimmy Garoppolo to the Denver Broncos
Just like the Panthers, the Denver Broncos might create a little uncertainty as far as long-term coaching prognosis, especially if head coach Vic Fangio is shown the door after this season.
Still, as Jimmy Garoppolo, you understand the close relationship Niners general manager John Lynch has with his former team, and there’s always been that direct line of communication between San Francisco and Denver anyway.
So, you have to admit it’s a possibility.
Yes, the AFC West is a rough division, owned by the team that beat you in Super Bowl LIV, the Kansas City Chiefs, and now threatened by an up-and-coming quarterback, Justin Herbert, and the Los Angeles Chargers. But you can counter your doubts going to the Broncos because of their young and improving offensive line and a trusted cadre of pass-catchers who’ll make you look good, namely tight end Noah Fant and wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.
Denver is poised to give up on its two quarterbacks, Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, in 2022. You won’t have to worry about either one of them trying to take your job.
And considering the Broncos have been desperately seeking a steady quarterback for years now, you know full well they’d be happy to use a chunk of their $48 million in projected cap space next year on you.
No. 2: Jimmy Garoppolo to the Miami Dolphins
While going up against Tom Brady twice a year might be convincing enough to make you want to go to the Panthers, the other matchup you’d love to see would be that inevitable regular reunion.
A classic twice-a-year showdown featuring you, Jimmy Garoppolo, going up against your old head coach, Bill Belichick, when the Patriots face off against their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins.
True, the Dolphins are in a bit of a conundrum. They’re likely still on the fence with their recent high-profile NFL Draft investment, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has bounced back a bit this season after being so shaky his rookie year in 2020. If Tagovailoa winds up performing well down the stretch, you might have to accept the reality the Dolphins won’t be interested in trading for you.
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Or if they can land a player like Deshaun Watson instead, they’d rather go that route. You’re not as good as Watson, and you know it.
Yet it’s possible Miami misses out on Watson, also possibly missing out on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, too, who has to be in the mix. And with a projected-high cap space of over $77 million in 2022, the Dolphins could easily bring you aboard and have plenty of cash to spend to bolster what’s been an impressive roster as of late around you.
Plus, it’d be awfully fun to throw to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and tight end Mike Gesicki, too.
No. 1: Jimmy Garoppolo to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Of course, you being a family man, Jimmy Garoppolo, your ideal dream would be to go back and play for your hometown Chicago Bears. But the Bears’ first-round investment in quarterback Justin Fields completely negates that, and they’ve been a notoriously poorly run franchise for a while now anyway.
You know what franchise hasn’t been poorly run? The Pittsburgh Steelers.
You’re fully aware Pittsburgh has the best solidarity at head coach with Mike Tomlin, and the Steelers seemingly find draft gems at wide receiver on a year-to-year basis, and Diontae Johnson along with Chase Claypool have now taken over those roles from JuJu Smith-Schuster and, previously, Antonio Brown.
More importantly, Pittsburgh seems poised to finally send off future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into the sunset, opening up the door for a younger quarterback to take the reins in front of a promising running game with Najee Harris and opposite an elite-caliber defense.
Sure, you’re aware the Steelers offensive line isn’t good at all. But without Roethlisberger’s 2022 cap number on the books, Pittsburgh will have far more than $43 million to absorb your contract and make some much-needed improvements to the O-line.
It isn’t as if the Steelers have a ton of roster holes elsewhere anyway.
If anything, the win-now Jimmy Garoppolo is fully aware Pittsburgh is perennially in the postseason hunt, too, making this your ideal destination in 2022.