With the 49ers reportedly committed to Trey Lance in 2023 still, Jimmy Garoppolo has an uncertain future but will surely have some suitors as a free agent.
Yes, there’s a chance the San Francisco 49ers once again turn back to veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to start for them in 2023.
How would that chance work? Well, for starters, fellow quarterback Trey Lance would either have to not be fully recovered from the season-ending ankle injury suffered earlier this season, or the Niners would have to completely give up on Lance anyway and go back to re-signing Garoppolo with the full intent of making him the starter once again.
Because Garoppolo, a free agent to be, certainly won’t return to San Francisco unless it’s in a starter’s role.
Earlier this season, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area) reported the 49ers were still very much Lance’s team moving forward, and Glazer is pretty well cemented in within the league.
So, if that means Garoppolo is out after playing arguably his best season with the Niners to date, there have to be some quarterback-needy teams that pursue him this offseason, right?
Perhaps one of these four comes calling once 2023 rolls around.
Jimmy Garoppolo suitor No. 1: Houston Texans
Yes, the Houston Texans were one of those teams that could have been in on Garoppolo last offseason, given the ties between the quarterback and Houston’s general manager, Nick Caserio, from their days together with the New England Patriots.
But the Texans opted to stick it out with second-year quarterback Davis Mills, the third-round selection out of Stanford who showed some pluck his rookie season but ultimately finds himself at the helm of a last-place Houston squad with nothing but another massive rebuild on the horizon and potentially earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mills ultimately might not be the answer, and it wouldn’t be shocking whatsoever to see Caserio usher in yet another head coach and strategy to revamp a downtrodden franchise.
Grabbing a familiar face with Garoppolo who underwent a similar situation when he first joined San Francisco in 2017 might be an easy ploy to make.
Jimmy Garoppolo suitor No. 2: Las Vegas Raiders
Not all the teams potentially in on pursuing Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason would have been in on him last summer.
The Las Vegas Raiders are a mess, but the strange thing is owner Mark Davis recently praised head coach Josh McDaniels despite the team’s woeful 2-7 finish that has been nothing short of a disaster.
That’s odd, and one can fairly question whether or not Davis should pull the plug on McDaniels’ second go-around as a head coach now instead of waiting another year or even longer.
Regardless, the one player who could get shown the door is quarterback Derek Carr, an idea that’s certainly been floated before but is gaining yet more traction with Las Vegas’ current struggles playing out on a massive scale.
Garoppolo could be a stopgap solution, particularly if Carr is moved to free up some cash and the Raiders don’t want a top-drafted rookie quarterback thrown into the fray right away.
Plus, assuming McDaniels stays (and that’s questionable), there’s always going to be the New England connection, too.
Jimmy Garoppolo suitor No. 3: Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders were reportedly in on trading for Jimmy Garoppolo last offseason before the quarterback’s shoulder surgery, ultimately going with their contingency plan of trading for former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz instead.
In hindsight, the Commanders probably wish they had simply made the Jimmy G trade regardless.
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Wentz has been disastrous on now his third team. And while his backup, the veteran Taylor Heinicke, has turned into something of a Washington cult hero, he’s not a long-term answer whatsoever.
What’ll likely be the case this offseason is the Commanders parting ways with Wentz and saving $26 million in the process.
That’ll create a void, though, and it might be one Garoppolo ends up filling after all.
Just a year later.
Jimmy Garoppolo suitor No. 4: Seattle Seahawks
Remember back when the only reason the 49ers wouldn’t release Jimmy Garoppolo outright and let him sign wherever he wanted last offseason was the fear the Seattle Seahawks would swoop in and grab him?
Fun memories, right?
Well, the Hawks may be glad they never had the chance to do so, as quarterback Geno Smith has somehow taken over a first-place Seattle team that no one (seriously, nobody) saw leading the NFC West halfway through the season.
Smith’s resurgence has been entertaining, but it’s hard to say whether or not it’ll be sustainable.
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The Seahawks own a ton of draft capital after trading away quarterback Russell Wilson last offseason, and they have a ton of cap space, too. Would Smith want to hang around knowing his team would likely use a top pick on a rookie quarterback?
Possibly. But also possibly not, especially in light of a career-best year.
If the latter happens, one might have to toss Seattle in the ring of teams that’d go after Jimmy G this offseason.