49ers Plan To Let Jimmy Garoppolo Negotiate Contract With Teams
Jimmy Garoppolo remaining on schedule to resume throwing puts the prospect of a near-future trade on the table. But the ninth-year quarterback’s 2022 salary will be an issue for teams in an extreme buyer’s market.
The 49ers QB is due a $24.2MM base salary this season. Garoppolo’s injury-prone San Francisco career now including a throwing-shoulder surgery, along with the fact most quarterback-needy teams filled their needs months ago, limits the four-plus-year starter’s options. But the 49ers plan to give Garoppolo every opportunity to secure a trade.
The 49ers are planning to allow Garoppolo to negotiate his contract with other teams ahead of any potential trade, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Only two teams could even absorb Garoppolo’s contract without making other moves, and neither the Browns nor the Panthers would take the 49ers QB’s salary as is. Carolina is not planning to trade for Garoppolo.
His contract is the lead issue here, though some in the NFC South team’s organization are leery of the veteran passer’s injury history. But the Panthers and Seahawks, whichever team does not acquire Baker Mayfield, would be interested in the former Super Bowl starter as a free agent. The Texans have moved forward with Davis Mills, but a mid-draft report linked them to Garoppolo, who has a lengthy history with Nick Caserio. The second-year Houston GM has not shown much shyness about acquiring midlevel veterans on short-term deals, either.
A move by the 49ers to give Garoppolo a chance to reduce his 2022 cap number is not surprising, considering the alternatives. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan said for months the plan is to move Garoppolo, and that will require a contract adjustment. An extension, one that would drop Garoppolo’s 2022 cap number, could be palatable to teams. But the group of prospective suitors also could wait out the 49ers, who would see Garoppolo’s $24.2MM salary go from non-guaranteed to fully guaranteed come Week 1. That opens the door to the scenario in which the team releases Garoppolo. Cutting the QB before Week 1 would tag the 49ers with barely any dead money, leaving the $25.6MM in additional funds — which could go to Deebo Samuel and/or Nick Bosa extensions.
Garoppolo serving as overpriced Trey Lance insurance does not appear in the cards, though it will still be interesting to see how the second-year QB looks in training camp. The 49ers could also benefit by an injury at another team’s camp. Then again, the Browns loom with their QB trade chip. Cleveland and Carolina have been discussing how to split up the four-year starter’s salary for weeks. The 49ers will attempt to give Garoppolo’s camp the opportunity to do that on its own, adding another wrinkle to a complicated quarterback offseason.
Latest On 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo
There’s some good news on the Jimmy Garoppolo health front. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), the 49ers quarterback “remains on schedule” as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
[RELATED: Panthers Concerned About Jimmy Garoppolo’s Health?]
Per Fowler, Garoppolo’s throwing timetable hasn’t changed. Coach Kyle Shanahan recently said that the veteran QB is expected to start throwing in the next weeks, and Fowler says that the early-July target date is still on track.
The timing of this news is not-so-curious considering a recent report surrounding the Panthers’ wariness of Garoppolo’s injuries. Of course, while any suitor for the QB would want their acquisition to be healthy in time for the regular season, there’s a good chance that the Panthers are also queasy about Garoppolo’s long list of additional injuries. The 30-year-old also underwent thumb surgery this offseason, and he’s missed time in his career thanks to a torn ACL and a high ankle sprain.
2021 was actually one of Garoppolo’s “healthier” seasons, although he still battled through ailments while starting 15 games. The former Patriots draft pick finished the campaign having completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while going 9-6 as a starter. He also started each of San Francisco’s three playoff games, although his completion percentage dropped to 58.1 percent and he tossed two touchdowns vs. three interceptions while battling those aforementioned injuries.
Garoppolo is attached to a $24.2MM base salary, and considering the presence of Trey Lance and the 49ers apparent desire to turn to the former third-overall pick, the Panthers have no reason (nor, obviously, no desire) to take on that amount of money in a potential trade. Matt Barrows of The Athletic recently opined that the 49ers should consider eating part of the QB’s salary as they look to move him off the roster. If the Panthers are indeed choosing between Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield, that salary savings could go a long way in determining which QB is traded.
Poll: How Should Panthers Proceed At QB?
Without a long-term quarterback plan since injuries began to keep Cam Newton off the field, the Panthers have attempted to land big fish at the position for a bit. But they have been unable to do so, leaving the team with a major question at the game’s premier position in a rather important year for Matt Rhule.
Carolina made serious efforts to trade for Matthew Stafford, offering a first-round pick and change, and Deshaun Watson, whom the team was linked to for over a year. Neither panned out, with the Rams swooping in late for a player who has since become a Super Bowl-winning QB. Although the Falcons were believed to be the second-place finishers for Watson, the Panthers also balked at the $230MM guarantee the Browns authorized. An inquiry into Russell Wilson‘s status went nowhere, with the longtime Seahawks QB prioritizing a Denver move.
The Panthers still have Sam Darnold, whom they acquired for three draft choices — including a second-round pick — last year. Darnold, 25, struggled through an injury-interrupted 2021 season, putting his status as Carolina’s 2022 QB in doubt. But the Panthers, upon trading for the former Jets top-three pick, exercised the scuffling passer’s fifth-year option. Darnold is guaranteed $18.9MM this year, and Rhule has praised his work this offseason.
The primary reason for the frequent Carolina-centric headlines this offseason, Baker Mayfield, 27, remains on the team’s radar. An early report this offseason indicated neither the Panthers nor Mayfield were on-board with a trade that moved the former No. 1 overall pick to Charlotte, but the NFC South team has come around. The Panthers have been by far the team most closely connected to Mayfield, having engaged with the Browns in trade talks during the draft and resuming them recently.
How Mayfield’s fully guaranteed $18.9MM salary would be divvied up would seem a somewhat minor hiccup, at least compared to the prospect of making a QB upgrade, but that component has stalled the talks for several weeks. The Browns were believed to offering to pay barely $3MM of Mayfield’s salary during the mid-draft talks, but they have since upped that figure to around $10MM. The Panthers have wanted the Browns to pay nearly $14MM of the figure. Cleveland holds the NFL’s most cap space, with Carolina at No. 2. It would seemingly benefit the Panthers to make this deal soon to give Mayfield as much time as possible to learn Ben McAdoo‘s playbook, and the Seahawks are lurking in the event Mayfield is cut.
Jimmy Garoppolo looms as an option as well, but Carolina is not believed to be interested in trading for him. The four-plus-year 49ers starter is tied to a $26.9MM base salary — one that becomes fully guaranteed in Week 1. The Panthers would be interested if the 49ers cut him, though the 30-year-old passer is coming off a three-injury season — one culminating with a throwing-shoulder surgery that paused his trade market.
Teams can certainly hold out to see if the 49ers — who have Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa extensions on their docket but hold little in cap space — blink on Garoppolo’s salary ahead of his guarantee vesting. But the Panthers waiting that long runs the risk of Garoppolo not joining the team until just before the regular season. That would not put him in good position to succeed. Although frequently scrutinized, Garoppolo did rank 12th in QBR in 2019. That Super Bowl-qualifying campaign also marked his only healthy season in the past four.
Ranking 29th in 2021 QBR, Darnold trailed a hobbled Mayfield (27th) last season. Mayfield’s best QBR season (2020, when he ranked 10th) outpaces Darnold’s by a notable margin. A 25th-place finish in 2019 is Darnold’s best mark, and although he has not been given a favorable draw in four seasons, the USC product teeters on the bust cliff. That said, Mayfield’s 2020 is the outlier in his past three seasons, a span that included a 2019 regression and the injury-plagued 2021 that is leading him out of Cleveland.
The Panthers have outfitted Darnold with a better offensive line this year, and a healthy Christian McCaffrey would make a difference. But are Darnold (or third-rounder Matt Corral, who profiles as a longer-term project) and healthy versions of Mayfield and Garoppolo close enough in ability to venture into training camp without Carolina making a move? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this situation in the comments section.
How should the Panthers proceed at quarterback?
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Trade for Baker Mayfield 37% (645)
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Wait for Jimmy Garoppolo to be cut 26% (448)
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Stick with Sam Darnold 23% (402)
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Start Matt Corral 13% (233)
Total votes: 1,728
Panthers Concerned About Jimmy Garoppolo’s Health?
Panthers-Browns talks about Baker Mayfield have reheated, to some degree, this week. The former Cleveland starter has been consistently connected to Carolina this offseason. San Francisco’s four-plus-year starter has not.
Jimmy Garoppolo‘s March shoulder surgery altered his trade market, effectively pausing it for what could be a four-plus-month stretch. The Browns have not blinked yet on dealing Mayfield, with money at the heart of the slowdown in their Panthers talks. The money remaining on Garoppolo’s deal is also an issue for Carolina, but The Athletic’s Joe Person notes some in the Panthers organization are concerned about Garoppolo’s health (subscription required).
The procedure on Garoppolo’s right shoulder followed a surgery on a thumb injury that plagued the veteran quarterback in the playoffs. Garoppolo, 30, also missed a game due to a calf injury midway through last season. The former Patriots backup missed most of the 2018 season after an ACL tear and was shut down after six games into the 2020 campaign because of a high ankle sprain — one he initially suffered in Week 2 of that season.
The injuries Mayfield battled for most of last season resulted in a steep performance drop-off and represent part of the reason he is on the outs in Cleveland, but they have not affected his trade market to the degree Garoppolo’s shoulder ailment has his. Garoppolo is expected to be ready to throw again in July, but with the Panthers perhaps prepared to pull the trigger on a veteran QB soon — if, indeed, they finally add to their Sam Darnold–Matt Corral passer setup — are they willing to wait for Garoppolo?
A $24.2MM base salary would come with Garoppolo, as of now, but Person adds the Panthers are not open to taking on that amount. Garoppolo could agree to adjust his deal, in an effort to land in a better situation, but the ninth-year veteran could also balk at doing so in an effort to hit free agency. A refusal by Garoppolo to drop his 2022 price would apply pressure to the 49ers to release him. Garoppolo’s salary is nonguaranteed; it becomes fully guaranteed by Week 1. This price tag has led some to believe the 49ers will indeed cut Garoppolo.
While a two-time NFC championship game starter, the oft-scrutinized QB carries considerable baggage that stands to complicate his upcoming age-31 season. The 49ers have stopped short of guaranteeing Garoppolo will be dealt, and while that is the scenario the team still hopes unfolds, the health and financial aspects here could mar a deal.
Door Still Open For Panthers QB Addition
Matt Rhule praised Sam Darnold‘s work at the Panthers’ latest OTA session, and exiting the team’s offseason program, the former No. 3 overall pick remains on track to be Carolina’s starting quarterback. But Rhule said the team is keeping the door open for an addition to this rather important position group, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets.
As teams do following minicamp, the Panthers will assess their roster to determine spots where veterans would provide needed assistance. While it would seem time is running out to bring in someone like Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo and expect the newcomer to be proficient in Ben McAdoo‘s offense by September, Rhule said (via Person, on Twitter) an addition just before training camp would give a new player sufficient preparation time.
A trade or free agent signing just before camp would be asking a lot from a veteran quarterback, who would be well behind Darnold in the new offensive coordinator’s system. But the Panthers have been the only known team to enter into substantive negotiations with the Browns for Mayfield. Those talks, though, were not believed to have gone far.
A previous report indicated the Browns were willing to pay “a good chunk” of Mayfield’s fully guaranteed $18.9MM salary, but Person indicates differently, noting Cleveland was willing to pick up barely $3MM of Mayfield’s contract (subscription required). Unsurprisingly, those negotiations broke down, leading the Panthers to Matt Corral in Round 3. The Panthers are believed to want the Browns to pay at least $13MM of that money, leading to this staredown — one in which the Browns hope the Panthers balk at another Darnold season while Carolina envisions Cleveland cutting its four-year starter. Perhaps the Browns have budged a bit since the teams’ mid-draft talks, but this certainly is a sizable financial gulf. These two teams are also first and second in terms of cap space.
Various NFL staffers expect the Browns and 49ers to each cut their trade block-stationed QBs, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who adds a straw poll among those execs placed Mayfield as more likely to be Seattle-bound and Garoppolo to head to North Carolina. That would be understandable, with the flipside of this scenario potentially involving an intra-NFC West trade. The Seahawks are also interested in Mayfield as a free agent.
The 49ers have more of a timetable here, with Garoppolo’s $24.2MM salary nonguaranteed until the regular season starts. After that date, Garoppolo’s vested-veteran status locks in that figure, putting some pressure on San Francisco to either carry the salary or cut bait come September. Mayfield’s money is already guaranteed, giving the Browns the option hold onto him into the regular season. It will be interesting to see how the ex-Heisman winner proceeds to prevent such a scenario. Mayfield’s January surgery on his non-throwing shoulder has not been an issue for teams, per Graziano, whereas Garoppolo’s March procedure on his right shoulder hijacked the 49ers’ trade effort.
Carolina, which checked on Russell Wilson and met with Deshaun Watson, saw Darnold rank 29th in QBR last season. Though a healthier Christian McCaffrey and the improved offensive line the Panthers should have may change the fifth-year passer’s outlook, it would still seem a gamble for Rhule to tie his hot seat to Darnold for a second season.
Jimmy Garoppolo Targeting July To Resume Throwing
The 49ers excused Jimmy Garoppolo from their minicamp this week; their four-plus-year starter would not have been able to contribute much anyway. Kyle Shanahan said the excused absence stems from the team wanting Garoppolo to continue his rehab uninterrupted, per ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner (on Twitter).
Garoppolo, who is training in southern California, is expected to be ready to throw again in early July, Shanahan adds. This aligns with the veteran quarterback’s timetable from March, when he underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder. No setbacks having occurred is certainly critical for the 49ers, who have attempted to trade Garoppolo for months. His surgery and Baker Mayfield‘s procedure on his non-throwing shoulder have affected the QB trade market.
Calf and thumb injuries also limited Garoppolo last season, with the latter requiring surgery as well. But the shoulder issue has lingered longest. It has led to the 49ers carrying a $26.9MM cap charge on their payroll. Shanahan and John Lynch have said Garoppolo remains a trade asset at this point, though each has backstopped that assessment by offering a reality in which the ninth-year veteran remains a 49er. That will be financially difficult for the team, with Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel up for extensions, but Garoppolo staying also gives the 49ers insurance against Trey Lance struggling to show starter-caliber stuff.
Mayfield has been frequently linked to the Panthers and Seahawks. Both teams are balking at Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary, which is fully guaranteed. The Browns will need to pay most of that to complete a trade. It will be interesting to see what the 49ers are willing to do, salary-wise, to facilitate a Garoppolo deal. One season remains on his 2018 extension.
Garoppolo’s shoulder injury effectively paused his trade market, which was once expected to produce a deal in March. San Francisco once targeted a Day 2 pick in a trade. Barring a major QB injury in training camp, that looks unlikely. It appears the Garoppolo standstill will continue for at least another month. Barring a deal in the next several weeks, Garoppolo suiting up for a fifth 49ers camp is a realistic possibility.
49ers Excuse Jimmy Garoppolo From Minicamp
As the 49ers continue to wait on a Jimmy Garoppolo trade developing, they will not fine him for missing minicamp. The team will excuse the veteran quarterback from its minicamp, which is set for this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Garoppolo not being ready to participate fully makes this news a formality, but it continues to reveal the 49ers’ plans regarding their longtime starter. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have spoken openly about wanting to trade Garoppolo. While both have offered scenarios in which the ninth-year veteran is not dealt, the 49ers’ goal remains for Garoppolo to be sent elsewhere in order to begin the Trey Lance era. Garoppolo, 30, has done his shoulder rehab away from the team’s facility.
Lance has had the first-team reps to himself this offseason and stands to keep growing in Shanahan’s system during minicamp. The former one-and-done Division I-FCS starter struggled as a rookie but recently detailed his issues overcoming a finger injury — one that did not fully heal until the season ended.
The prospect of Garoppolo resurfacing as a competitor in training camp would complicate San Francisco’s blueprint — both financially, considering the $26.9MM cap figure attached to Garoppolo, and in terms of Lance’s future — but that scenario remains in play the longer the incumbent starter stays on the roster. The team’s most recent step continues to show that will not be the goal.
Garoppolo’s surgery on his throwing shoulder did not take place until March, delaying his return to action and halting meaningful 49ers trade talks. As a result, Baker Mayfield has been more frequently connected to other teams than Garoppolo. But the four-plus-year 49er starter’s presence in the background here still affects Mayfield’s status. Once both are ready to participate fully, trade talks involving the passers stand to intensify and increase in complexity.
49ers Rumors: Al-Shaair, Garoppolo, DBs
This will be a key year for Azeez Al-Shaair. The fourth-year linebacker is less than a year away from a possible free agency bid, and he may have an opportunity to join Fred Warner as a three-down ‘backer. With Dre Greenlaw missing much of last season due to injury, Al-Shaair stepped in as a full-timer. This season figures to determine which contract-year linebacker — Greenlaw or Al-Shaair — the 49ers aim to keep. The one that ends up playing less figures to be the cheaper option, with Matt Barrows of The Athletic noting that might be the player San Francisco attempts to retain (subscription required). Such a strategy would mesh better with Warner, who is tied to a top-market off-ball linebacker deal. A 2019 UDFA out of Florida Atlantic, Al-Shaair registered 102 tackles (nine for loss), two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception in 13 games last season — his first as a full-timer. Al-Shaair, however, is recovering from offseason knee and shoulder surgeries, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The team is targeting a training camp return for Al-Shaair.
Here is the latest out of San Francisco:
- New 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese has dealt exclusively with the quarterbacks who have attended the team’s offseason program. He has not communicated with Jimmy Garoppolo since taking over, via Maiocco (on Twitter). While Garoppolo will surely still have a good grip on Kyle Shanahan‘s offense, this does mark another sign the franchise remains intent on finding a trade. Dealing Garoppolo is not a guarantee, but it has long been the team’s goal.
- Elijah Mitchell made a surprise ascent early last season, leapfrogging third-round pick Trey Sermon and finishing with 963 rushing yards in just 11 games. The 49ers added another third-round back this year, in LSU’s Tyrion Davis-Price, and have a new running backs coach in Anthony Lynn. The team still views Mitchell as its top backfield option, according to ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner, who adds the incumbent plans to be roughly 15 pounds heavier than he was last season. The 2021 sixth-round pick, who missed a chunk of the season due to multiple injuries, played at around 200 pounds as a rookie.
- K’Waun Williams operated as the 49ers’ slot cornerback for five years, signing multiple contracts to stay in that role. But the veteran defected to the Broncos in free agency this year. Veteran Darqueze Dennard could benefit. Despite being a January practice squad addition, Dennard resides as the top slot option for San Francisco as of OTAs, Barrows adds (subscription required). Fifth-round pick Samuel Womack may be Dennard’s top challenger, per Barrows. Although Dennard played in just two regular-season games last year (one as a Giant, one as a 49er), he spent several years as the Bengals’ primary slot defender. This will be the former first-rounder’s age-31 season.
- Jaquiski Tartt is not expected back with the 49ers this year. As of OTAs, Talanoa Hufanga and Tarvarius Moore reside as the top options to replace him, Barrows notes. Hufanga received the first crack at the strong safety job this week, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Moore’s contract tolled from 2021, a season he missed due to a torn Achilles suffered during the 49ers’ 2021 offseason program. The 49ers drafted Hufanga in last year’s fifth round; he started three games as a rookie. The team also signed ex-Colt safety George Odum this offseason.
Shanahan: ‘Not A Guarantee’ 49ers Trade Jimmy Garoppolo
Baker Mayfield‘s saga has generated considerable buzz, dwarfing Jimmy Garoppolo‘s time on the trade block for publicity. But the longtime 49ers starter is in the same boat, albeit with an unproven quarterback expected to replace him.
After entering the offseason with the plan of trading Garoppolo, the 49ers remain hopeful they can do so. But that is no longer a lock. After John Lynch alluded to the possibility Garoppolo plays out his contract with the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan did the same Tuesday.
“I expect at sometime he’ll be traded, but it’s not a guarantee,” Shanahan said, via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman (on Twitter). “It went on hold when [surgery] happened.”
The 30-year-old quarterback underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder this offseason, putting him in a similar unavailability boat as Mayfield, who had surgery on his nonthrowing shoulder. Mayfield is expected to be ready by training camp. Garoppolo is expected to be ready for Week 1, but the surgery — which did not occur until March — changed the 49ers’ game plan here. They had entered trade talks previously, but Garoppolo’s operation scuttled those. San Francisco’s asking price — once believed to be a Day 2 pick — has almost certainly plummeted, with quarterback-needy teams moving to other options.
Lynch has said he believes Trey Lance is ready to take over, though CEO Jed York has also offered that the 49ers’ two quarterbacks can coexist for a second season. It would still surprise if Garoppolo was back on the 49ers next season. His $26.95MM cap number is holding up team business, which includes extensions for Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel. Frequent scrutiny and injuries aside, Garoppolo has quarterbacked the 49ers to two NFC championship games. He could represent the best option to keep San Francisco a contender, depending on Lance’s Year 2 readiness.
That said, Lance coming from a Division I-FCS program that did not have a season in 2020 — due to the pandemic — and having one year of college starter experience opens the door for a longer NFL onramp. The North Dakota State prospect did not seriously threaten Garoppolo’s QB1 status as a rookie and could find himself in a position battle again come camp, if Garoppolo is indeed still a 49er.
Garoppolo’s camp would likely not be thrilled by the veteran being a very expensive Lance insurance policy, especially considering other teams could still upgrade via the ninth-year veteran. But the 49ers, like the Browns, appear to be threatening to take push complex QB situation into training camp — potentially in hopes of an injury or underperformance entices a team to make a viable trade offer.
The Panthers and Seahawks have been more closely connected to Mayfield, with Carolina entering trade talks for the disgruntled Cleveland QB during the draft. But a Garoppolo-to-Carolina scenario should not be ruled out. It is more difficult to see the 49ers trading Garoppolo to a division rival, though precedents exist — most notably in 2010’s Donovan McNabb Philadelphia-to-Washington swap. The Texans emerged on the radar here just before the draft, which featured no Houston QB picks. Nick Caserio was in New England throughout Garoppolo’s time there, but acquiring the contract-year QB now would impede Davis Mills‘ development.
NFC West Rumors: Samuel, Lynch, Cross, Mack, Rams
49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel helped push the narrative that his relationship with San Francisco was deteriorating in early April when he unfollowed the 49ers and removed all references to the team from his social media. Well, according to Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, Samuel has signaled that things may be trending in a better direction lately.
Smith points out that Samuel refollowed the 49ers on Instagram and liked a post that showed general manager John Lynch saying that the issues between the two parties can be worked out.
Samuel is headed into the final year of his rookie contract and is looking for a nice, new payday. Smith makes a good point that new deals to Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs are going to make a new deal for Samuel fairly costly for the 49ers.
Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC West, starting with another note from the Bay Area:
- Jake Hutchinson, the 49ers beat writer for KNBR, released some quotes from an interview with Lynch. Lynch commented on the progress of the team’s efforts to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, saying, “I felt we were close in some discussions, and then the decision was made to have surgery and it brought things to a screeching halt.” Lynch continued, “We either want to have Jimmy playing for us, which we’re alright with, or we want him to get the value.”
- During a press conference with Seahawks general manager and executive vice president John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll after the Draft, ESPN’s Brady Henderson released a video containing some of their thoughts on the No. 9 overall pick, Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross. In it, the two specify that they see Cross on the blindside, playing left tackle. They don’t have concerns about him transitioning from Mike Leach‘s spread offense at Mississippi State due to Cross’s athleticism. They also felt very fortunate to have had Cross fall to them at 9, noting that there were opportunities to move up or down.
- Matt Barrows of The Athletic wrote an article going over the results of the 49ers’ 2022 Draft. He notes that the two Day 3-additions of UTSA tackle Spencer Burford and Fordham tackle Nick Zakelj both played tackle in college, but project as NFL guards, similar to past draft picks Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore. While slightly problematic that none of these linemen specialize at guard or tackle, it’s extremely problematic that none of them have experience at center. With current center Alex Mack sitting at 36 and contemplating retirement, it’s important that San Francisco begins to look at options beyond Mack to play center.
- In a rundown of the Rams’ 2022 Draft, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic unveiled an interesting rumor about how highly Los Angeles valued their third-round draft pick, Wisconsin guard Logan Bruss. With plenty of time before their selection arrived, the Rams knew Bruss was the player they wanted to target at No. 104 overall. Upon the suggestion of now-retired left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who was in the Rams’ draft room, Los Angeles made a few efforts to move up to select Bruss earlier. Unfortunately for them, the teams they called declined. Fortunately for them, though, Bruss found his way to Southern California despite their inability to move up.