Why these 4 teams won’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

It’s anyone’s guess what awaits Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022, but let’s break down why these four teams won’t engineer a trade for the 49ers quarterback.

With the dust settling on the Cleveland Browns finally trading away quarterback Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, another possible domino has fallen in the offseason saga surrounding the San Francisco 49ers’ own soon-to-be-jettisoned signal-caller, Jimmy Garoppolo.

And it sure is interesting to see how the national media has started picking up with its Jimmy G talk now that Mayfield has been moved.

There are plenty of reasons why the Niners haven’t been able to move Garoppolo this offseason as they prepare to fully transition to second-year quarterback Trey Lance as the starter. Shoulder surgery earlier this offseason has been one, while Garoppolo’s post-trade $25.55 million salary due, according to Over the Cap, is likely another.

Yet Garoppolo now sits as arguably the best quarterback available on the trade market, albeit one with awfully few teams interested.

And while we already have prompted ideas about a would-be Jimmy G trade to a number of teams out there, let’s explore the flip side and break down why these four teams would have no interest in trading with San Francisco for its veteran quarterback.

Why Buccaneers won’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

It’s amazing how quickly a rumor can surface, and it’s equally amazing just how quickly it can be shot down.

Late last week, Dan Sileo of The National Football Show reported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had somehow emerged as suitors for Garoppolo, which was quite the revelation, and he said:

"The Buccaneers would love to have Jimmy G in Tampa as the heir apparent. So Garoppolo would go to Tampa as the backup and once [Tom] Brady leaves, there’s Jimmy G with a ready-made team again like he had in San Francisco and in New England. It’s a no-brainer."

Sileo claimed to be close with both Brady and Garoppolo’s agent, Don Yee, so there’s possibly some merit there.

Except for the fact that Yee shut that rumor down right away, thanks to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:

If that wasn’t enough, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times quoted a member of the Bucs coaching staff as saying, “If (Garoppolo) could throw a deep ball, he would’ve won two Super Bowls already.”

Ouch.

While this could be a proverbial “smoke and mirrors” campaign, Tampa Bay sure doesn’t sound like it has any interest in making a trade for Jimmy G at any point.

Why Texans won’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

On the surface, it sure does sound plausible the Houston Texans may be interested in a trade for Jimmy Garoppolo.

So much to the point that even Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated Houston could wind up making the deal later this offseason, riding the same patience in the market playing out just like they did with now-Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Florio wrote:

"For starters, Garoppolo clearly is available. We know that. Unless the 49ers have completely lost their marbles as to the quarterback position (and it’s definitely possible that they have), they’re not going to pay Garoppolo $25 million to serve as the understudy to Trey Lance. Second, the Texans have shown that they know how to slow play a situation, in order to get the best outcome. They did it with Deshaun Watson. And it worked. Which makes them even more likely to keep their heads low and their mouths shut as to the possibility of getting Garoppolo, moving at the right time to get Garoppolo at the rights terms and the right price. Third, the G.M. of the Texans drafted Garoppolo. Sure, Nick Caserio was setting the table for Bill Belichick at the time. Regardless, there’s a relationship there. There’s ownership there. There’s familiarity there."

It does make sense. And if Houston views Garoppolo as a clear-cut upgrade over second-year quarterback Davis Mills, too, there you go.

Except Mills, who completed almost 67 percent of his passes for 2,664 yards and 16 touchdowns on a truly pitiful Texans offense, might wind up being better than anticipated. And with Houston having just over $9 million in available cap space, still on the hook for $16.2 million in dead money owed to Watson, the financial elements would make things awfully tough unless one of the three parties — Garoppolo, the 49ers and the Texans — would agree to split the costs.

Unlike what Carolina, Cleveland and Baker Mayfield did to engineer that trade, it’s probably a bigger obstacle here.

Why Browns won’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

The Browns’ situation with Baker Mayfield was irreparable, which makes sense. Even in light of the possibility Deshaun Watson could face a year-long suspension in light of all those allegations of off-field sexual misconduct.

There’s a good chance the Niners are closely monitoring that situation, particularly knowing a would-be suspension would leave Cleveland without a starting quarterback.

And as Niner Noise’s own Jeremy Wohlfart pointed out, the Browns’ salary-cap situations in 2022 compared to 2023 essentially make this season a win-now one, while next year will be awfully challenging:

"The Browns enjoy more than double the cap space of any other team after the Mayfield trade, and while they’re on the hook for most of the money to convince Carolina to deal for Mayfield, they’re still almost $50 million in the black at the time of writing. However, in 2023, this takes a sudden turn as Cleveland will have the third-worst cap room at over $30 million over the cap. … In short, they’ll need to make serious cuts, and they’ll be coming after this year. They pushed their chips into the middle of the table and suddenly found they don’t have the winning hand amid Watson’s uncertainty."

It might come down to whether or not the Browns trust Watson’s presumed backup for the time being, Jacoby Brissett. But the kicker, knowing Cleveland just paid part of Mayfield’s salary to “go away,” is it smart fiscal business to essentially be paying three starting-caliber quarterback salaries over the course of 2022?

Probably not. And if the Browns do feel comfortable enough with Brissett, there’s your answer.

Why Seahawks won’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

Wouldn’t this be something, a trade between two NFC West rivals?

Those deals aren’t likely, but they’ve happened before. And in the case of San Francisco trading with the Seattle Seahawks, there’s logic to it.

The post-Russell Wilson era Hawks are poised to start either Drew Lock or Geno Smith under center in 2022, and that’s a prime reason why it’s not hard to find Seattle towards the very bottom of league power rankings heading into the season. In the wake of further reports from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, suggesting the Seahawks “have discussed the possibility of Garoppolo playing for them,” it’s not hard to see why this is on the table.

Yes, the 49ers would be wise to try and get something out of the Hawks via trade instead of having an NFC West rival simply pluck him up off the free-agent scrap heap if released.

But with only $16.4 million in available cap space ($19.4 million if Smith is released), why would Seattle want to both spend more in money and give up draft assets to acquire Jimmy G?

No, the Seahawks would probably want to either pass completely on a trade, especially considering it’d be likely just a one-year rental, or simply play the long game and force the Niners’ hand.

The latter outcomes certainly are more plausible than engineering a trade with San Francisco.