3 moves 49ers must make immediately following 2022 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
49ers move No. 1: Bid farewell to Jimmy Garoppolo
The Niners spent the entirety of the offseason trying to trade away quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo but to no avail. Whether it’s his $25.5 million post-trade cap hit in 2022, the fact he’s coming off shoulder surgery and won’t be available until training camp or whatever, Garoppolo remains a lame duck on San Francisco’s roster despite the flurry of quarterbacking changes the league saw prior to the NFL Draft.
With the draft complete, and the Carolina Panthers (one of arguably three teams in the market for a quarterback) taking Ole Miss signal-caller Matt Corral, whatever last-ditch chance the 49ers had to trade Garoppolo evaporated. True, the Niners can hope another team’s starting quarterback suffers an offseason injury or completely flames out, resparking the need for a starter.
But that hope could find itself irrelevant awfully soon.
The Niners need that $25.5 million, especially since their rookie 2022 draft class will cost approximately $7 million to sign by camp anyway.
Doing this isn’t without precedent either. The Chicago Bears are granting quarterback Nick Foles, a one-time Super Bowl MVP, his release after failing to trade him. Finally cutting bait with Garoppolo and leaving him to his own devices would be the proverbial “ripping off the Band-Aid” while fully endorsing the future with second-year quarterback Trey Lance.