4 teams that would sign Jimmy Garoppolo minutes after a release

Jimmy Garoppolo suitor No. 1: Seattle Seahawks

Perhaps the biggest reason why San Francisco hasn’t released Jimmy Garoppolo outright is because of the suspicion one of its biggest NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, would come calling right away.

Not only would the Hawks be upgrading over their two options in the post-Russell Wilson era, Drew Lock and Geno Smith, but they’d also be gaining valuable insight into the 49ers’ offense under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Seattle might not look at Garoppolo as a long-term option, and it has seen firsthand the quarterback’s own limitations.

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However, with head coach Pete Carroll likely winding down his NFL coaching career, going out on something of a strong note and avoiding the possible pitfalls of a lengthy, painful rebuild are certainly motivational points towards finding an upgrade now instead of looking for one later.

Putting things bluntly, the Niners don’t want to see Jimmy G in a Seahawks uniform, yet he might relish the opportunity to square off against the team that just jettisoned him.

And while both Seattle and San Francisco likely wouldn’t want to trade with each other, all bets would be off if Garoppolo suddenly became available on the free-agent market.