Jimmy Garoppolo a less attractive option than Mitchell Trubisky?

The 49ers may have had a tough time trying to find a suitor for Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, and there’s been more buzz about Mitchell Trubisky instead.

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t receiving as hot a market for veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason as they might have liked.

With full expectation the Niners are going to trade Garoppolo, paving the way for 2021 rookie Trey Lance to start under center, one might have figured an exceptionally increased buzz about Garoppolo being on the move.

Especially from the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine where team executives conduct plenty of behind-the-scenes business.

Yet there hasn’t been any notable reports of an imminent movement, and it appears as if San Francisco isn’t receiving the kind of offers it expected for a Garoppolo trade. Further muddying the waters are additional reports Garoppolo will require offseason shoulder surgery, which could have been done right after the 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs in the NFC Championship game, potentially decreasing his trade value even more.

Instead of Garoppolo being one of the more sought-after signal-callers on an otherwise lackluster offseason quarterback market, it’s another quarterback who seems to be drawing more buzz.

Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Mitchell Trubisky seems to be gaining more interest than Jimmy Garoppolo

On the surface, it would appear the No. 2 overall pick from the 2017 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears would have no business being a better offseason target than Garoppolo.

Especially after Trubisky flamed out in Chicago despite being a one-time Pro Bowler, ultimately serving as Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s primary backup last year.

Yet that seems to be the trend, as FanSided NFL insider Matt Verderame pointed out in his Monday column:

"Many will ask why any team wants to pay Trubisky $10 million or more annually after his Chicago flop. The answer is because teams are desperate for quarterbacks, and Trubisky was a top pick, who is still young, and who is being talked about by Buffalo as someone who learned and was a professional in 2021.Additionally, the interest in Trubisky is an indictment of other options. With Russell Wilson likely staying put and both Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo costing draft picks, Trubisky seems like a good option. He’s cheaper than the aforementioned names and only costs cap space."

True, Garoppolo was responsible for a good deal of the Niners’ success the last three years, helping them get to two NFC Championship games, winning one of them and advancing to the Super Bowl.

Read More: 5 teams that may balk at trading for Jimmy Garoppolo now

Yet Garoppolo does have an extensive injury history, too, and the latest setback is just one more example of why teams may not be risking parting ways with draft picks and instead looking at a free-agent option who’ll likely cost much less than the $25 million owed to Jimmy G post-trade.

Weird to think Trubisky might be more attractive an option than Garoppolo at this point, but there are merits to it.