Jimmy Garoppolo trade likely hinges on Aaron Rodgers decision

The 49ers are eager to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, but that move probably won’t happen until Aaron Rodgers makes his highly anticipated decision.

It’s fair to state there are probably a large number of fans and analysts who want a number of storylines to simply go away.

What the San Francisco 49ers end up doing with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is probably one of those storylines, as it’s been part of the discussion ever since the Niners aggressively traded up to No. 3 overall in last year’s NFL Draft, a move that set the stage for the selection of Garoppolo’s heir apparent, Trey Lance.

Yet another storyline that’s played itself out for far too long has been quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ saga with the Green Bay Packers.

Does he want to stay there? Does he want to leave? Apparently he’s torn. But if there’s one thing abundantly clear, he doesn’t mind making the story about himself, which FanSided NFL insider Matt Verderame pointed out in his weekly column on Monday:

"The timing of all these news tidbits is truly a cosmic miracle.Now, despite Rodgers saying he’d make a “quick decision,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst is waiting for another declaration only days before free agency begins and the tag deadline arrives. Does Rodgers want to be with the Packers or another club? Nobody knows. One would think during his 12-day cleanse, there would have been time to figure this out."

San Francisco can feel fortunate it doesn’t have a Rodgers-like situation on its hands and all the drama associated with it. It’s turned into a circus.

Yet, while there’s no direct impact on the 49ers’ efforts to trade Garoppolo in light of what happens between Rodgers and the Packers, there are influences.

And perhaps one of the reasons why the market for Jimmy G has been noticeably cold.

Teams probably waiting for Aaron Rodgers news before looking at Jimmy Garoppolo

Rodgers would easily be the biggest quarterback available this offseason, should that be both his desire and that of Green Bay. And all but probably 25 teams should at least entertain the idea of trading for the back-to-back NFL MVP despite his long list of postseason collapses.

But that proverbial shoe has yet to fall, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever if teams are hesitant to pull the trigger on any would-be trade for Garoppolo.

Even though a deal officially can’t go into effect until the start of the 2022 league new year on March 16.

In the interim, the Niners remain stuck with Garoppolo and probably won’t have too much traction on exploring preemptive trades until either Rodgers and/or the Packers make up their minds. If Rodgers elects to stay in Green Bay, and the Packers decide to retain him, that’d be one potential option off the board amid what’s shaping up to be a bad market for teams in need of quarterbacks.

Read More: 4 trade partners for Jimmy Garoppolo if Aaron Rodgers retires

Or, if Rodgers is dealt, the biggest offseason-ticket item would have fallen, and it’d likely prompt even more moves across the board for quarterbacks.

Perhaps including Garoppolo, too.

49ers may still not get as much for Jimmy Garoppolo as they’d hoped

Not long ago, the Washington Commanders were in the rumor mill as potentially convincing themselves that their top pick in this year’s draft, No. 11 overall, could be used as part of a Garoppolo trade.

A general consensus, both before and after, suggested San Francisco might settle for a second-round pick, perhaps part of a package not unlike some other quarterback trades we’ve seen in recent years.

Regardless of what happens with Rodgers’ situation, though, any team wishing to acquire Garoppolo via a trade is doing so with the understanding he’s coming off a shoulder sprain (that’ll require surgery) and a thumb injury, both suffered late during the season, which add to the lengthy list of injuries he’s had over his career.

Tack on the fact he’s 30 years old and probably won’t rise anywhere above being a middle-of-the-road quarterback, it’s understandable why teams may balk at sending off prized assets for Jimmy G anyway.

Especially if plenty of those teams are patient enough to force the 49ers’ hand, possibly leading to them cutting Garoppolo outright in the wake of no offseason suitors, then signing Garoppolo to a more team-friendly deal without having to use draft assets.

Either way, Rodgers’ decision probably needs to take place first before any deal winds up coming to the surface.

If one takes place at all.