Jimmy Garoppolo won’t go to Commanders after Carson Wentz trade

The Commanders were thought to be in the market for Jimmy Garoppolo, but a move for former Colts QB Carson Wentz strikes that would-be deal.

So much for Niner Noise listing the Washington Commanders as the No. 1 potential suitor for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.

Sure, it made sense at the time. Washington was aggressively in the market for soon-to-be former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, only to see the Hawks trade him outside the conference to the Denver Broncos, meaning the Commanders’ quarterbacking search would continue.

Not for long, though.

A day after the Wilson news broke, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Washington had agreed upon a deal with the Indianapolis Colts that will send quarterback Carson Wentz to the Commanders:

Washington head coach Ron Rivera made it no secret he’d prefer a veteran over a rookie NFL Draft pick under center, and Wentz will surely fit the bill.

Even more enticing from a league-wide perspective, Wentz will now get to play the team that drafted him initially, the Philadelphia Eagles, twice a year. And, of course, the Eagles unceremoniously sent Wentz packing to Indy last year.

However, with the Commanders now off the radar of teams potentially interested in Garoppolo, what’ll happen next?

Is a Jimmy Garoppolo trade to the Colts imminent?

Colts general manager Chris Ballard certainly didn’t endorse Wentz at the tail end of the 2021 campaign once Indianapolis was eliminated from playoff contention, and Wednesday’s deal says all one needs to know about how Indy felt about its one-year starter.

The Colts did give up a conditional second-round pick for Wentz a year ago, though, and it turned into a Round 1 selection after Wentz appeared in more than 75 percent of offensive snaps last season.

But, with the reported trade ammunition acquired for Wentz from the Commanders, it’s surely a reasonable suggestion to think the Colts would be likely suitors for Jimmy G now.

Certainly more than before the Wentz deal went down.

The AFC is chock full of top-level quarterbacks, and the general consensus is it’ll be easier for NFC teams to make the Super Bowl than the gauntlet of options in the other conference, especially now with Wilson in the high-powered AFC West.

Still, the AFC South remains a relatively weak division, and the Colts may simply be looking to upgrade slightly over Wentz while retaining a run-first, defensively potent roster that should still be able to compete for a playoff spot.

And while it might be somewhat bad news for the Niners, seeing a potential Garoppolo trade partner evaporate, Indianapolis just emerged as a front-runner.