Jimmy Garoppolo trade: 4 front-running teams now in the mix for 49ers QB

The 49ers did not move Jimmy Garoppolo just ahead of the 2022 NFL new year as expected, but these three teams could still be in the hunt.

The San Francisco 49ers apparently didn’t have a plethora of quarterback-needy teams tripping over themselves to land the services of veteran Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason as expected, even though general manager John Lynch previously told reporters there was significant interest.

Speculation and rumor suggested the Niners would have been able to move Garoppolo via trade prior to the start of the league new year on March 16, and there were teams surely in the hunt for options.

However, the Denver Broncos engineered their blockbuster trade for quarterback Russell Wilson, while the Washington Commanders traded for former Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Carson Wentz. Then the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to go with a former first-round NFL Draft pick, Mitchell Trubisky, instead of shipping off trade assets to bring aboard someone like Garoppolo.

The market on Garoppolo is drying up.

Regardless, San Francisco can still trade Garoppolo later this offseason, especially with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson being on the move and creating a ripple effect that’ll impact Garoppolo’s market.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at which teams remain in the running for a would-be 49ers trade of Jimmy G.

Jimmy Garoppolo trade suitor No. 4: Indianapolis Colts

Recent speculation from NFL insider Benjamin Allbright (h/t 49ers Webzone) suggested the Colts were no longer in on the hunt for Garoppolo even after the Wentz trade.

Allbright suggested another option, free-agent quarterback Marcus Mariota, as a possibility.

Two things here, though. It’s feasible this is proverbial “smoke” from Indianapolis to try driving the Niners’ asking price on Garoppolo down. After all, Indy still doesn’t have a viable quarterback to start on the roster, and Garoppolo might be the best option available anyway.

The second element, though, is it might actually be possible the Colts don’t view Garoppolo anywhere as valuable as San Francisco does, and a corresponding trade package wouldn’t even come close to what the 49ers were asking.

Hence the diminished interest.

Still, a team like Indianapolis, one which is on the cusp of being a playoff competitor, might be waiting to see if Garoppolo’s market simply dries up before handing out a final offer.

That’d be good for the Colts, not so much for the Niners, who hope one of these other teams get in on the mix.