While the trade market for Jimmy Garoppolo has dried up a lot, it’s not dead yet. So let’s look at teams still in the mix and why/why not they strike a deal.
Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers should have acted when the proverbial “iron was hot” on the market for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, accepting the best deal possible not long after news broke the Seattle Seahawks were sending quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
This would have preceded the messy and drawn-out drama that surrounded former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson going back and forth on his trade preference, eventually settling on the Cleveland Browns, which in turn put Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield squarely on the trade block.
All the while, many of the other QB-needy teams around the league settled on their contingency options, the Pittsburgh Steelers with Mitchell Trubisky and the Washington Commanders with Carson Wentz, and so on.
Read More: Is Jimmy Garoppolo trade imminent after Baker Mayfield is dealt?
The Niners could easily be waiting for what happens with Mayfield now, perhaps the next domino before the quarterbacking market almost completely dries up with proven starters.
At the same time, though, San Francisco could see the dwindling list of suitors pull out of the Garoppolo sweepstakes, too.
Here are four teams in that running with reasons both why and why not they trade for Jimmy G.
Jimmy Garoppolo trade destination No. 4: Houston Texans
Sending Garoppolo off to the Texans might seem to be a cruel joke after the organizational dysfunction they’ve gone through seemingly for years now.
However, armed with three first-round NFL Draft picks, and more, Houston is set to fully engineer its rebuild under general manager Nick Caserio, someone who knows Garoppolo from their days together with the New England Patriots.
In a weak quarterback class in the NFL Draft, and no high-quality options available on the trade market, the Texans may look to act now on a move for Garoppolo to help spark the rebuild.
Why Texans trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
Houston can’t overlook how Garoppolo came over to the 49ers in 2017 and helped a dilapidated Niners roster win its final five games that year, including beating the Texans.
Garoppolo would bring a winning pedigree and playoff experience to a team that’s in desperate need of both, combined with some serious locker-room leadership.
Why Texans don’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
Caserio also seemed to fully endorse Houston’s 2021 rookie quarterback, Davis Mills, as the heir apparent to Watson.
Mills, a third-round pick in last year’s NFL Draft, was a late riser in draft circles and could easily be identified as the player to build a roster round, should Houston want to go that route.
Plus, with San Francisco’s still-existing affinity for Garoppolo, it might opt to simply send him to a team with a much better chance of winning in 2022 than the Texans.
Jimmy Garoppolo trade destination No. 3: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were another team reportedly in on the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, and it makes perfect sense as to why.
For starters, and despite quarterback Tom Brady returning out of retirement to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFC South is still an awfully weak division, and Panthers head coach Matt Rhule has to make a splash this offseason to avoid the pitiful collapse that plagued Carolina last year and to get himself off the coaching hot seat.
And if we found out anything in 2021, quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Cam Newton weren’t it.
Jimmy Garoppolo would arguably be a better fit with the Panthers than he would be with the Texans, and Carolina’s roster boasts far more talent, too.
Why Panthers trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
The Panthers aren’t a quarterback away from contention, no, but adding Jimmy G would help solve a big piece of the puzzle. And while Garoppolo certainly won’t push Carolina into being division favorites, the NFC as a whole is the weaker conference, and a Wild Card spot surely would be in play.
Plus, who wouldn’t mind seeing Garoppolo versus Brady twice a year in a Patriots-like reunion matchup?
Why Panthers don’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
Cap space isn’t an issue for the Panthers, but boasting enough compensation to convince the 49ers to make a deal is.
Carolina owns the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft, and the Niners would love to get their hands on that. But the Panthers would be silly to trade it, and they aren’t slated to draft again until Round 4, meaning San Francisco would either have to settle for that as compensation or bank on a better pick in 2023, which doesn’t seem likely.
Jimmy Garoppolo trade destination No. 2: Atlanta Falcons
Right after the Indianapolis Colts traded Carson Wentz to the Commanders, Indy immediately became a favorite landing spot for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Reports surfaced the Colts wanted Wentz to be a bigger leader, but he failed to deliver that in the locker room, and his play wasn’t exactly enough to overcome those shortcomings. If anything, the desire to trade Wentz after just one year following his big acquisition from the Philadelphia Eagles says everything one needs to know.
According to the Pat McAfee Show, though, Indianapolis instead elected to go with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who had to feel his time was coming to an end with the Falcons also in the Deshaun Watson hunt:
BREAKING: Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts is ALL BUT DONE, my source(s) are saying it's for a 3rd rounder#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gxW1OoI9W7
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 21, 2022
So, did the Falcons suddenly wind up being trade partners soon after?
Why Falcons could have traded for Jimmy Garoppolo
Atlanta wanted to upgrade under center over Ryan and onto Watson, ultimately failing in that process.
With few other options out there, and a Falcons team going through a rebuild amid a weak NFC South, going after Garoppolo would have at least help solve one pressing and immediate need while acting as a bridge to a long-term option.
Why Falcons didn’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
The Falcons just got out from under Ryan’s sizable contract, which should free up a lot of money to help spark a rebuild.
Would they seriously want to take on $25 million right now for someone who is less capable than Ryan? Possibly not.
Atlanta is taking a $40.5M cap hit this season by trading Matt Ryan. I can’t see them investing another $25.9M at QB by acquiring Garoppolo. Someone cheaper like Mariota makes more sense for Falcons.
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) March 21, 2022
Saving those draft assets to stock up on young, cheap talent probably is the smarter move, and the Falcons ultimately elected to go with Marcus Mariota instead:
That was fast: The #Falcons have agreed to a 2-year deal with QB Marcus Mariota.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 21, 2022
Cheaper option at play.
Jimmy Garoppolo trade destination No. 1: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints, also big players in the Deshaun Watson trade market, are still nevertheless reeling from quarterback Drew Brees’ retirement two seasons ago, and it’s pretty evident backup quarterback Taysom Hill isn’t going to be the long-term answer.
Just like the Panthers, the Saints still have talented pieces on the roster and enjoy being in a relatively weak division. That’ll be an attractive note in a Jimmy Garoppolo trade, yet head coach Sean Payton stepping away from football en route to Dennis Allen taking over should cast some doubts.
New Orleans does, however, own its own picks in the first five rounds of the draft, plus an additional third-round compensatory selection, so there’s enough ammunition to strike a deal between both sides.
Would it go down, though?
Why Saints trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
Also like Carolina, the Saints aren’t just a quarterback away from being true contenders. But adding Garoppolo would help solidify a need that hasn’t been addressed at all since Brees retired.
After being in salary-cap hell just before the start of the league new year, New Orleans now boasts over $26 million in cap space, which is more than enough to take on Garoppolo’s post-trade contract.
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Doing so would help keep the Saints relevant this season, potentially beyond.
Why Saints didn’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
New Orleans is dangerously teetering on the brink of being a few pieces away from playoff contention and needing to fully hit the reset button.
That’s a dangerous time to aggressively trade for a 30-year-old average quarterback with a lengthy injury history.
If the Saints simply wanted to figure things out without dishing off much-needed draft assets, they’d be better off reuniting with last year’s starter, Jameis Winston, or one of the sub-optimal options available in NFL free agency to bridge the gap between now and 2023.
Which is precisely what they did:
The #Saints are re-signing QB Jameis Winston to a two-year deal with a base value of $28 million, including $21M guaranteed, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 21, 2022
So after missing out on Deshaun Watson, New Orleans turns to an old friend at QB.
Cheaper option without having to dish out draft picks in a trade.