Comparing Jimmy Garoppolo trade value to other quarterback trades

With the 49ers poised to trade Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, Niner Noise looks at earlier QB trades to further determine what the compensation might be.

Easily the biggest news for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason will be how they navigate the impending trade that’ll send veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo somewhere else in 2022.

While by no means the sole reason the Niners made it all the way to the NFC Championship game last season, Garoppolo nevertheless played a vital role in ensuring head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad made it deep in the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. And despite all of Garoppolo’s shortcomings and limitations, he still finished the regular season with respectable numbers, completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,810 yards with 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, all for a passer rating of 98.7.

As San Francisco makes the transition to 2021 rookie quarterback Trey Lance this year, it’ll also look to recoup some of the massive capital used to acquire Lance at No. 3 overall in last year’s NFL Draft.

Garoppolo, easily one of the league’s 20 best quarterbacks going right now, will have a market.

The only question is how much.

There’s no shortage of speculation surrounding what a Garoppolo trade would command for a quarterback-needy team, especially in light of relatively few quality options in free agency or the 2022 draft. Some pundits have suggested a second-round pick seems the most likely, while others cite the thin options available as a reason why the 49ers could create a bidding war, perhaps even netting a Round 1 selection in return.

However, using history as a guide, let’s look at four examples of Garoppolo-caliber quarterback trades that might help influence the market for him if they don’t necessarily set it.