Which 49ers came away as winners or losers after NFL free agency?
By Peter Panacy
Loser: Jimmy Garoppolo trade market
San Francisco could have been more open to accepting the best possible deal from a quarterback-needy team for veteran Jimmy Garoppolo before NFL free agency began. Perhaps immediately after news of the Seahawks trading quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos broke.
As things turned out, though, many of those teams decided to go with alternatives, such as the Washington Commanders trading for Carson Wentz, which still opened up a void for the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers signing former Buffalo Bills backup and former first-round NFL Draft choice, Mitchell Trubisky, instead of trading assets for Garoppolo.
Read More: How 49ers botched trade market for Jimmy Garoppolo
Things got weirder with the sweepstakes for former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, too, as he ended up being traded to the Cleveland Browns, who were then coerced into trading their quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
The craziness of the offseason quarterback carousel is flying above Garoppolo’s market, and the number of teams looking at potentially making a move for Jimmy G is also dwindling.
Sure, the 49ers may still benefit by waiting it out, hoping one of the last remaining squads in need of a starting signal-caller gets desperate.
Still, the Niners should have acted more swiftly here.