The 49ers still seem likely to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022, and the uncertainty of Tom Brady’s future means the Buccaneers are now in play as a possible destination.
Not getting totally ahead of ourselves here (OK, we are to an extent), but even if the San Francisco 49ers wind up winning Super Bowl LVI this February, they’re still all but guaranteed to move on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
The “why?” is pretty simple to figure out.
Garoppolo is going to cost the Niners $27 million in 2022, according to Over the Cap, yet over $25 million of that could be cleared if San Francisco parts ways with him in one way or another. For a team with $11 million in cap space, currently, and the need to extend other star players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel and EDGE Nick Bosa, freeing up that cash would go a long way.
And it would fully open up the door for the 49ers to field their top investment from the 2021 NFL Draft, quarterback Trey Lance.
There has been no shortage of potential Garoppolo landing spots in 2022, namely from the long list of quarterback-needy teams amid an offseason market that doesn’t seem overly good for quarterbacks, either in free agency or the draft.
Yet another team could potentially emerge as a possible suitor of Garoppolo’s services.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, now eliminated from the NFL playoffs after winning the Super Bowl a season ago.
Quarterback Tom Brady, who’ll turn 45 years old when next season starts and already has another Super Bowl ring outside the guise of the New England Patriots, remained non-committal about playing another season.
So, if he somehow shocks the NFL world and calls it quits, the Bucs might be another team possibly in the market for Garoppolo.
Let’s explore why.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a better option than Buccaneers’ backups
Should Tom Brady elect to walk off into the sunset, Tampa Bay’s inherited quarterback situation wouldn’t exactly be a great one.
Brady is still under contract for 2022, yes, but there’s only one other quarterback who’s officially on the roster, 2021 rookie signal-caller Kyle Trask, whom the Buccaneers grabbed at the tail end of Round 2 in last year’s NFL Draft out of Florida.
Trask didn’t see the field last season, as the Bucs left Brady’s backup duties almost exclusively to one former 49ers player, Blaine Gabbert, who’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
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Trask not being able to beat out Gabbert for the No. 2 spot isn’t necessarily an indictment against the rookie, but it’s not an endorsement either. Tampa Bay certainly can’t feel comfortable with Trask as a long-term option just yet, and it isn’t’ as if Gabbert offers up any kind of confidence either if he’s re-signed on the cheap.
Jimmy Garoppolo has his limits, yes. But, for a Buccaneers team that still has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, the window to at least compete for a Super Bowl in a post-Brady era would still be there.
Buccaneers can afford Jimmy Garoppolo
Over the Cap has the Buccaneers at $19.4 million in projected available cap space for 2022, and a would-be Tom Brady retirement would free up all but $8 million owed to him next season, freeing up $24 million in total.
More than enough financial assets to absorb the approximate $25 million needed to take on a post-trade salary for Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Niners making it this far in the playoffs has already increased Garoppolo’s trade value, even though he might not be anything close to the sole reason why San Francisco has advanced to the NFC Championship game, potentially beyond.
A weak offseason quarterback market probably has a lot more to do with that, yes. But it’s not without question the 49ers could seek a second-round pick in return from Tampa Bay.
Maybe even a bigger package if there winds up being a bidding war for Garoppolo involving other quarterback-needy teams.
The Buccaneers own all their 2022 draft picks, aside from a Round 6 selection, made up for somewhat by a projected seventh-round compensatory pick. Currently, they’re slated to pick at No. 27 overall, which would create a dream scenario if the Niners somehow managed to pry away a Round 1 pick.
Not likely. But possible.
Even so, it’s time we add the Bucs to the long list of potential teams interested in Garoppolo this offseason, depending entirely upon what Brady decides to do.