Where Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers Stand After Series Of NFL Blockbuster Trades

The San Francisco 49ers figured to move off longtime starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo before NFL free agency even started last week.

Both the 49ers and Garoppolo admitted immediately following San Francisco’s NFC Championship Game loss to the Los Angeles Rams that his time in Northern Calfornia was coming to an end.

Now, nearly a year after San Francisco traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to draft Garoppolo’s heir-apparent, his situation is more complicated.

To be clear. Trey Lance will be the 49ers’ Week 1 starter once the 2022 season comes calling. Garoppolo will not be on the roster.

With that said, we’re now entering the second week of NFL free agency and Garoppolo remains on the 49ers’ books with a cap hit of $26.95 million. It has impacted their ability to be big-time players during free agency with one high-priced signing and multiple lower-level deals.

Now that the likes of fellow quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Dashaun Watson have been traded, the market for Garoppolo’s services has shrunk. With Baker Mayfield firmly on the block, too, it could shrink even more. Below, I look at where we are at in the entire Garoppolo saga wth the 49ers.

Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Market

Previously linked to Garoppolo, a number of teams have found their new starting quarterbacks. That includes Russell Wilson heading to the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns pulling off a blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson and the Washington Commanders adding Carson Wentz to the mix.

If we conclude San Francisco is not going to trade Garoppolo to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks, there’s less than a handful of teams that make sense for the Super Bowl quarterback.

The Indianapolis Colts remain very much in the market for Garoppolo and had trade discussions with San Francisco about the veteran during the NFL Scouting Combine. It’s also important to note that Colts general manager Chris Ballard has dealt with San Francisco’s front office recently. That included the 49ers trading star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to Indy following the 2019 season.

However, things are complicated here due to Mayfield’s presence on the trade market after Cleveland traded for Deshaun Watson on Saturday. Having requested a trade prior to that blockbuster, Mayfield is not in a position to dictate where he goes.

With that said, it’s being reported that he prefers the Colts — further complicating San Francisco’s ability to trade Garoppolo. The Seattle Seahawks are also firmly in the mix for Mayfield and have had internal conversations about acquiring him after sending Wilson to the Broncos. Could Seattle use some of the bounty it received from Denver to entice the Browns in a trade? This would be the best-case scenario for San Francisco, setting the stage for a Garoppolo trade to Indianapolis.

MORE FROM FORBESSan Francisco 49ers on the Forbes NFL Team Valuations List

There’s also two NFC South teams (and potentially a third squad) in the market for a new quarterback.

The Carolina Panthers struck out in their attempt to acquire the aforementioned Watson. They now have to make a choice between selecting a rookie quarterback in the top-10 of the 2022 NFL Draft or biting the bullet on a Garoppolo trade. After all, the Panthers’ brass has made it clear that Sam Darnold is not the answer under center following his disastrous first season in Charlotte.

Also in on a Watson trade, the New Orleans Saints find themselves in an unenviable position in the post-Sean Payton era. Taysom Hill is the only in-house candidate to take over under center. However, the Saints do have interest in re-signing Jameis Winston after he suffered a torn ACL last season. Will Winston’s familiarity with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael’s scheme play a role in the Saints’ decision-making process? San Francisco hopes not.

As for the other AFC South team, the Atlanta Falcons were close to finalizing a deal for Watson before Cleveland came through to offer him a fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

While Atlanta kept veteran quarterback Matt Ryan in the mix behind the scenes, there’s a decent chance the former NFL MVP will ultimately request a trade. Likely wanting to join a contender, his market might be impacted. Perhaps, the Seahawks or Colts show interest.

Either way, it’s hard to imagine the Falcons turning around and acquiring Garoppolo should they be forced to trade Ryan. In this scenario, Arthur Blank’s team might just opt to go into full-scale rebuild mode.

Timeline And Details Of A Potential Jimmy Garoppolo Trade

From San Francisco’s perspective, the sooner the better. There’s absolutely no reason for this to draw on any further. Realistically, it would be a nightmare scenario if a trade is not finalized before the 2022 NFL Draft late next month. In fact, the 49ers want some sort of resolution within the week.

Any thought given to the idea that this will still remain unsettled come summer time an training camp is laughable.

There’s a few reasons for this. The 49ers currently find themselves $7.74 million under the cap. Garoppolo’s $26.95 million cap hit is still on the books. Ridding them of that figure would help the 49ers’ brass add to other areas of need before the NFL free agent market thins out even more.

San Francisco has needs at wide receiver, guard, edge pass rush and cornerback — needs it will not be able to address in a wholesale manner during the 2022 NFL Draft without a first-round pick.

For example, the 49ers have been linked to former New England Patriots All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore. His going rate will be north of $12 million annually. Even after signing fellow cornerback Charvarius Ward, San Francisco still has interest in Gilmore. It will not be able to finalize a deal until Garoppolo is off the team’s books.

MORE FROM FORBESSan Francisco 49ers Sign Charvarius Ward: Financial Impact And More InformationBy Vincent Frank

Recently-released former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Julio Jones is also someone the 49ers’ brass figures to have interest in given his relationship with head coach Kyle Shanahan dating back to their time together with the Atlanta Falcons. In short, moving Garoppolo should be San Francisco’s next big move.

The question then becomes what a trade might look like. Let’s take the Carolina Panthers out of the group above and focus on that initially. Carolina finds itself $31.79 million under the cap. It could easily take on Garoppolo’s contract without blinking an eye from a financial perspective. At issue here is Darnold’s presence and $18.86 million cap hit. Will general manager Scott Fitterer want to dole out north of $43 million in cap room to two marginal quarterbacks?

As with any potential trade, there’s other avenues to pursue. San Francisco could agree to take on Darnold as a backup to Lance. In the process, it demands more in return by picking up some of his $18.86 million cap hit. That is to say, demanding the Panthers up the ante by agreeing to pay out half of it. In this scenario, the 49ers add more draft capital.

It’s also not a secret that Carolina has injury-plagued All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey on the trade block. His value has decreased big time with the former Stanford star having played a total of 10 games over the past two seasons.

Perhaps, the 49ers opt to take a chance that McCaffrey’s injuries are behind him while adding the dynamic threat to Kyle Shanahan’s offense. At full strength, he’d be a perfect fit. After losing Raheem Mostert to the Miami Dolphins, running back also remains a need for the 49ers.

With a base salary of $8.4 million, the 49ers would be able to take on McCaffrey’s cap hit while adding other pieces in free agency. This scenario would also include Carolina sending some draft capital to Northern California.

MORE FROM FORBESBreaking Down San Francisco 49ers’ Decision To Hire Brian Griese As Next Quarterbacks CoachBy Vincent Frank

Things get less complicated when it comes to the Colts and Saints. Both have the cap room to add Garoppolo to the mix without having to trade away a quarterback contract. Indianapolis could offer up its second-round pick and change for Jimmy GQ. The same thing could be said about New Orleans.

As it is, this is a situation the 49ers need to settle in short order. It has handcuffed them during NFL free agency. By trading Garoppolo, San Francisco would then be able to focus on adding more veterans to the mix before turning its attention to the 2022 NFL Draft as well as extending Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa.

Right now, things are in a holding pattern. And in reality, that’s not a great look.