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.

Jimmy Garoppolo trade suitor No. 3: Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are one of four teams linked to being interested in Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, along with the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.

And according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, Watson’s decision on his own trade future could be imminent (potentially even after this particular article goes live):

If Carolina loses out, though, it’ll be in a tough spot to find a contingency plan. Last year’s starters, Sam Darnold and Cam Newton, clearly aren’t the answers, and head coach Matt Rhule will be on the hot seat entering 2022 anyway.

While Jimmy Garoppolo shouldn’t be viewed as a long-term option for the Panthers, a weak NFC South with three of the four teams reportedly on the hunt for quarterback changes means Garoppolo could easily be a contingency plan.

One which certainly wouldn’t cost anywhere near as much, in terms of a trade package, as trading for Watson would.

Jimmy Garoppolo trade suitor No. 2: New Orleans Saints

It’s entirely possible San Francisco delayed trading Jimmy Garoppolo simply to wait on what happens with Deshaun Watson, knowing the loser(s) of those sweepstakes will be scrambling to make a move however possible.

Let’s assume either the Panthers or the Falcons wind up netting Watson. If that’s the case, the Saints would be another potential destination for Jimmy G this offseason.

Granted, New Orleans was in salary-cap hell just before the league new year, scrambling to get underneath the $208.2 million salary cap. As such, taking on Garoppolo’s post-trade $25.5 million salary would make things even more challenging, and that’s possibly an obstacle unless Garoppolo agrees to an immediate restructure of his current deal.

One that’d likely have to result in a pay cut.

However, Garoppolo’s no-trade clause expired on March 16, so there’s no way for him to veto that deal, even if the 49ers presumably want to do right by him.

From the Saints’ perspective, at least they’d be getting an upgrade over quarterback Taysom Hill, assuming they don’t want to bring veteran signal-caller Jameis Winston back after he tore his ACL last season.

Jimmy Garoppolo trade suitor No. 1: Cleveland Browns

A new member of the lost list of teams that could have potentially been in on the hunt for Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, the Browns are also reportedly wanting in on Deshaun Watson, too.

The reason, however, is pretty interesting.

Cleveland’s soured relationship with quarterback Baker Mayfield has taken a turn for the worse in recent days, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen’s comments about that confrontation were surely, well… provocative:

The Browns are rapidly in danger of becoming the fourth best team in the AFC North this offseason, thanks to the rise of the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals and the fact the Steelers seemingly never fail to hit expectations despite their own quarterback deficiencies last year with now-retired Ben Roethlisberger.

It might be a cruel joke for the Niners to ship Garoppolo off to Cleveland in the wake of a presumed Mayfield-Browns divorce.

But if Cleveland is willing to offer up a significant trade package, one which San Francisco simply can’t refuse, it’ll nevertheless be hard to turn down.