The San Francisco 49ers haven't enjoyed the luxury of facing their former starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, over the last three years since he departed the Bay Area in the wake of Brock Purdy's emergence.
Sure, the Niners have squared off against Garoppolo's most recent employer, the Los Angeles Rams, twice a year. But, with LA getting a healthy dose of veteran signal-caller Matthew Stafford over the last two seasons, Jimmy G has been holding the clipboard on the sideline.
According to one rumor from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, that all could change this upcoming season.
Fowler reported the Arizona Cardinals, with first-year head coach Mike LaFleur, "have interest" in Garoppolo as a potential free-agent addition this offseason, citing LaFleur's prior San Francisco connections to the veteran quarterback who served as the 49ers' prime starter from 2017 and into 2022:
The Cardinals have interest in Jimmy Garoppolo. ‘That’s (Mike LaFleur’s) guy,’ said one source of the Arizona
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 1, 2026
head coach’s relationship with Garoppolo.https://t.co/GAO1KwPY0t pic.twitter.com/BX5NswqKTo
There's no shortage of irony with that possibility.
49ers would love facing Jimmy Garoppolo 2 times a year
It's a fair argument to suggest Garoppolo had his peak long ago with the Niners, doing more things in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense than anywhere else in his travels since.
And when there were thoughts of Garoppolo being Stafford's heir-apparent, it was hard for many a San Francisco fan not to laugh at the thought of a downgrade.
Yet Stafford appears plugged in with Los Angeles at least for a shorter while longer, meaning the free-agent Garoppolo could use an Arizona road to become a starter once more.
Even if it's with a rebuilding Cardinals team likely to move on from its own long-time signal-caller, Kyler Murray, entering 2026.
If true, Jimmy G would go from seeing the Niners twice a year with the Rams to actually playing his former squad twice a year instead.
The 34-year-old Garoppolo hasn't started a game since 2024, and that was just a one-time deal. Meanwhile, fans can wonder if the would-be version they'd see in a Cardinals uniform would be reminiscent of his prime version back with San Francisco or the floundering version he was during his post-49ers days with the Las Vegas Raiders.
For laugh's sake, hopefully the latter, should the rumor come true.