The 49ers ideally would have had Jimmy Garoppolo moved by now, but there are still some feasible options on the table ahead of training camp.
The San Francisco 49ers just wrapped up offseason workouts consisting of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t partake in any of them.
This, of course, stems from offseason shoulder surgery in the wake of an injury suffered during the playoffs last season. And while other factors played a role, that injury is likely the biggest X-factor in why the Niners had no luck trying to trade him earlier this offseason as part of the plan to fully transition to second-year signal-caller Trey Lance.
The rest of the league has seemingly settled on its quarterbacking options, leaving Garoppolo in an uncomfortable and uncertain spot on San Francisco’s offseason roster. And while the 49ers have indicated they won’t simply “give Jimmy G away” for nothing, they are inching closer to having to make a decision.
One of these three remaining decisions they have, most likely.
49ers option No. 3: Trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the highest bidder (if there are any)
The Niners have stubbornly stuck to their plan and hope to trade Jimmy G. But they may be faced with the hard reality that no team is willing to dish out a first-, second- or even a third-round NFL Draft pick for a 30-year-old oft-injured middle-of-the-road quarterback.
Especially one whose post-trade salary would be $25.5 million.
Granted, Garoppolo might be coerced into accepting a post-trade restructured and less-expensive deal, but that tacks on another X-factor into the equation, one which might stall trade talks.
That said, quarterbacking landscapes do change. All it would take is for another team to lose its starter to an injury in training camp, another team to seek an upgrade (such as the Carolina Panthers) or a team like the Cleveland Browns to get desperate amid all the drama surrounding their new starter, Deshaun Watson.
And, no, Cleveland won’t be able to welcome back understandably disgruntled signal-caller Baker Mayfield if Watson faces a lengthy suspension.
Remember, though, the Philadelphia Eagles once traded lame-duck quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings in 2016 for a first-round pick when Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a serious knee injury during offseason programs.
San Francisco can still hold out hope the market for Garoppolo likewise improves between now and Week 1, and another team’s desperation could play to the 49ers’ benefit.
49ers option No. 2: Jimmy Garoppolo is released outright
While the quarterbacking market is always unsteady, each passing day lessens the likelihood of a trade.
And it’s possible Jimmy Garoppolo simply wants out of a strange, awkward situation.
Garoppolo and his agent, Don Yee, have to fully understand by now that no team is going to want to absorb the quarterback’s $25.5 million post-trade cap hit. Reportedly, that’s the biggest obstacle in the way of the Panthers trying to upgrade their own bad quarterback situation with flamed-out Sam Darnold poised to still be under center.
Few, if any, playoff-caliber teams are seeking quarterbacks by the way of a trade. So, assuming Garoppolo’s best interests win out here, what would prevent him from asking for his release outright, then being able to at least latch on somewhere with the upside hope of competing for a starting job while the base minimum would be landing a modest salary as a backup?
Read More: Jimmy Garoppolo might have to accept a backup role in 2022
This might be a workable long-term plan. As noted before, quarterback landscapes change frequently and on a year-to-year basis. And some former starters have ridden the QB2 role for a year or more before reverting back to starting duties, such as former Chicago Bears starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who had to back up Buffalo Bills starter Josh Allen before signing on with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
Getting a jump start on that process now might help salvage the back end of Garoppolo’s career, and the Niners might be coerced into granting it.
49ers option No. 1: Jimmy Garoppolo stays… as Trey Lance’s backup
Jimmy Garoppolo missing OTAs and mandatory minicamp meant Trey Lance received all the first-team reps during those practices, and the lofty investment San Francisco made in Lance last offseason points almost exclusively to the second-year pro being the starter in 2022 anyway.
Yet the 49ers have also indicated they’d be comfortable with a situation in which Jimmy G is back.
Probably not with his scheduled salary, though.
Granted, retaining Garoppolo as a backup to Lance carries with it the likelihood of yet another quarterbacking controversy, only this time with the roles reversed but the inevitable questions of confidence in Lance remaining fully on the table.
However, should the Niners demand Garoppolo take a serious pay cut to hang around, they would at least have a starting-caliber option to fill in for Lance at a moment’s notice, should the 2021 No. 3 overall draft pick either flame out or suffer some sort of lengthy injury.
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This wouldn’t solve the likely circus that would ensure from both quarterbacks still being on the roster. But, as far as comfort level goes with backup quarterbacks, one should rightfully assume Garoppolo inspires more confidence than either of San Francisco’s other two backup options, Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy.
Plus, there’d likely be the added bonus of the 49ers receiving a compensatory draft pick in 2024 once Garoppolo signed a qualifying free-agent deal elsewhere, and that pick might be more than what the Niners could get for Garoppolo via trade right now.
From that perspective, retaining Garoppolo does make sense even if it’ll have plenty of ramifications and consequences elsewhere.