Jimmy Garoppolo

Poll: Who Will Make Most Seahawks QB Starts In 2022?

August 10th, 2022 at 2:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Russell Wilson did not enter his first offseason as a lock to start, and Tarvaris Jackson did bridge the 2011 gap between Matt Hasselbeck and Wilson, the Seahawks have not exactly experienced much late-summer quarterback uncertainty in the 21st century. Even going back to the late 1990s, Jon Kitna ended his Seattle run as the team’s unquestioned starter for multiple seasons.

This run of stability stopped when the team dealt Wilson to Denver in March. Although the Seahawks were connected to both Baker Mayfield — whose early destination prediction was Seattle — and rookie prospects, they have stayed the course. The Geno Smith–Drew Lock battle is unfolding in earnest at training camp. Will this be how the team replaces Wilson?

Right now, Smith — Wilson’s three-year backup — is in the lead, per Pete Carroll. The 10th-year passer will start the Seahawks’ first preseason game Saturday. This marks the second straight year Lock will begin the preseason as a backup. He did so behind Teddy Bridgewater last year, and that status turned out to be indicative of the Broncos’ 2021 plans for the former second-round pick.

Smith, 31, has taken most of the snaps behind Seattle’s first-string offensive line during camp, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes, but Lock, 25, outperformed him in the team’s mock scrimmage recently, Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News-Tribune tweets. The Mizzou product led multiple scoring drives despite helming the second-team offense against Seattle’s first-team defense. Lock will likely move into the starting lineup at least once during the Seahawks’ three-game preseason slate. Lock limiting his turnovers at Seahawks camp has impressed Carroll as well, per Condotta.

The Seahawks know what they have in Smith, who has gone from being a multiyear Jets starter to a player that has sat exclusively behind durable QB1s. The infamous IK Enemkpali locker-room punch thrust Ryan Fitzpatrick into a Jets starting role in 2015, and Smith played behind Fitz in 2016 as well. Smith’s 2017 Giants deal did produce one start, when then-HC Ben McAdoo benched Eli Manning. That move led ownership to can McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese. Smith’s Chargers accord did not lead to any starts, with Philip Rivers well into his start streak in 2018, and Wilson’s start streak hummed into October 2021. Smith completed 68.4% of his passes, throwing five TDs to one INT, and averaged 7.4 yards per attempt in his three-plus-game cameo last season.

A Lock rookie-year hand injury kept him sidelined behind Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen, but he finished that year with five Broncos starts. Denver did not bring in any competition for Lock in 2020, but the strong-armed QB’s sophomore season began his path out of town. The streaky passer led the NFL in INTs (15), doing so despite missing three starts and failing to finish another. Even as Bridgewater battled multiple injuries in 2021, he continued to start over Lock. Bridgewater’s second 2021 concussion, which came in Week 15, led Lock back to work. While Lock again enjoyed moments, he finished with a 23.4 QBR in limited action. The Broncos lost each of his three season-ending starts.

It would seem the Seahawks have a floor-vs.-ceiling decision to make, with Smith representing the safer option. But a clear upgrade should be available soon. The 49ers want to avoid releasing Jimmy Garoppolo early, keeping him away from the division rival with a quarterback need. But with Garoppolo’s $24.2MM base salary becoming guaranteed just ahead of Week 1, the Seahawks lurk. They have done homework on the four-plus-year San Francisco starter, and while no trade is likely here, Seattle could obtain Garoppolo on a much cheaper salary if/when he is cut.

Will the Seahawks be the team that ends up with Garoppolo? Or will their months-long Lock-Smith competition produce a winner worthy of sticking around as Wilson’s successor? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Latest On 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

August 8th, 2022 at 9:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Jimmy Garoppolo continues to practice on the sideline as the 49ers front office continues to seek a trade for the veteran QB. However, assuming a trade doesn’t materialize, the 49ers may be willing to wait until the last second to move on from their former starter. Per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, the 49ers may wait to release Garoppolo to prevent him from acclimating with a new team…particularly the Seahawks.

Garoppolo’s contract doesn’t become guaranteed unless he’s on the roster for the first game of the 2022 campaign. As a result, the 49ers could truly wait until the Tuesday before their season opener to release the QB, allowing the organization to create an immediate cap savings of $25.55MM. If they release Garoppolo between September 6 and September 10, they’d owe him a game check worth $1.34MM, which is still a minor fee to prevent him from immediately going to, say, a division rival.

As Barrows notes, the last thing the 49ers want to do is release Garoppolo, watch him sign with the Seahawks, and allow him to “get acclimated and become the starter early in the season.” For what it’s worth, the 49ers play the Seahawks in Week 2. Assuming Garoppolo is released before Week 1, there would still be a week for the QB to prepare for a start with Seattle. However, in this scenario, there’s a better chance Seattle rolls out one of Geno Smith or Drew Lock for that division showdown.

If a deal doesn’t materialize, could the 49ers look to rework Garoppolo’s contract instead of cutting him? Unlikely, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, who could only envision the 49ers committing to the QB if Trey Lance or Nate Sudfeld suffer an injury. Garoppolo has one year remaining on his contract, with a non-guaranteed salary of just over $24MM.

While it isn’t much of a surprise, it sounds like the quarterback has mentally moved on from San Francisco. According Barrows, Garoppolo was offered the chance by the 49ers to attend meetings with his fellow QBs, but he declined. Throughout this ordeal, there haven’t been any hints of tension between the two sides, and Garoppolo’s decision to stay away from meetings makes sense when he could better spend his time physically preparing for the upcoming season.

Latest On Jimmy Garoppolo’s Trade Market

August 7th, 2022 at 10:33pm CST by Ely Allen

While 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo continues to recover from shoulder surgery, San Francisco is doing all they can to ensure they don’t give away their former starter for too much of a bargain. While the team permitted Garoppolo to seek a trade, they’re willing to wait until roster cut-down day to move him, in order to get a maximum value, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

According to Rapoport, there just isn’t a perfect trade partner out there right now for Garoppolo to go to. When looking out at the quarterback rooms across the NFL, there isn’t really any team struggling enough to field a starting quarterback that they’d be willing to take on Garoppolo’s salary.

There are teams like the Falcons, who don’t have an ideal starting quarterback. Atlanta will employ Marcus Mariota as QB1 despite the fact that he hasn’t started a game since losing the Titans’ job to Ryan Tannehill in 2019. Some might think that it’d be worth it to bring in Garoppolo who, in the two full seasons he’s started, amassed a win-loss record of 22-9 and took San Francisco to the NFC championship game both years. But Atlanta likely isn’t willing to shell out $24MM for the last year of Garoppolo’s contract. Especially when Mariota has shown the ability to win games over his career and, even if Mariota is unsuccessful, he may just prove to be a stopgap to give rookie third-round pick Desmond Ridder time to adjust to the NFL.

The Steelers are in a similar boat to the Falcons. Pittsburgh will utilize Mitchell Trubisky as a starter as Kenny Pickett grows into an NFL starter. The Panthers were in a similar boat, starting Sam Darnold with Matt Corral waiting in the wings, before they made the move for Baker Mayfield, who is still on his much more team-friendly rookie contract.

The Seahawks are a team who would instantly improve with the addition of Garoppolo. He would provide an upgrade to either Geno Smith or Drew Lock, but Seattle has made it abundantly clear that they are fine moving forward with the Smith-Lock quarterback battle. What’s more likely is that they would prefer their current situation over having to take on Garoppolo’s contract.

There are a couple other teams out there who have a starting quarterback in place, but they are either a short-term veteran without much of a backup plan or a young starter who may not have the franchise totally convinced yet.

For the former scenario, we look at the Colts and Rams. Indianapolis brought in former Falcons’ franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, in exchange for a third-round pick, to be their starter. Ryan is six seasons removed from his MVP season and five seasons removed from his last winning record. Behind the 37-year-old Ryan is 33-year-old Nick Foles and unproven youngsters Sam Ehlinger and Jack Coan. Bringing in the 30-year-old, proven starter, Garoppolo, could put an end to the Colts’ one-year rental system at quarterback that they’ve been employing in recent years. But, seemingly, the price tag of $24MM is too much to pay for the potential of longevity at the quarterback position.

As for the Rams, don’t get mad. It’s understood that Matthew Stafford won them a Super Bowl just last year and they rewarded him with a four-year extensions, but, hear me out: he’s 34 years old. While he is a perfectly serviceable quarterback for now, to call him a plan for the future would just be unrealistic. Beyond Stafford, the Rams roster John Wofford, Bryce Perkins, and Luis Perez. Adding Garoppolo would be a plan for the long-term future of the team, but Los Angeles is likely to balk at taking on Garoppolo’s contract just for him to sit until Stafford is done playing.

For the teams with young talent who have yet to convince their teams they’re legit, we have the Lions, the Texans, the Giants, the Dolphins, and the Eagles. Now, in Detroit, Goff is a veteran at this point, but is still only 27-years-old. He’s shown plenty of winning ability during his six-year career but struggled to find success after leaving a talented Rams team for the Lions. The Texans have expressed their full faith in Davis Mills, who started 11 games for Houston last year as a rookie. Mills struggled to find team success, but showed promised as a starting quarterback late in the season, enough so to prevent the Texans from using either of their two first-round picks (or any of their nine total draft picks) on a quarterback. Detroit and Houston are in the unfortunate position of having little-to-no reliable depth at quarterback, which could leave them in extremely uncomfortable positions if either starter fails to progress or gets injured.

The Giants, Dolphins, and Eagles all have young starters, too, but they all have a decent backup option as a potential safeguard. The Giants will head into Year 4 with Daniel Jones under center but have veteran Tyrod Taylor to back him up. The Dolphins are still experimenting with Tua Tagovailoa but they roster veteran Teddy Bridgewater as a backup option. And Philadelphia is rolling with Jalen Hurts but have another youngster with starting experience behind him in Gardner Minshew.

All five of those teams would love to have Garoppolo come in as a failsafe to make sure that they can win football games if their young starters fail to develop. But none of them need that assurance badly enough to warrant taking on his cap hit.

So the 49ers wait. They realize that, right now, the only way they’re going to be able to exchange Garoppolo is by giving up value. That could mean eating some of Garoppolo’s contract to make the deal more palatable or realizing less of a return in the trade. Regardless, San Francisco has been adamant about getting Garoppolo’s worth.

They wait and will continue to wait because a lot can happen before the roster cut deadline. Any team could experience an extremely unfortunate season-ending injury to their starting quarterback, and, if that occurs, Garoppolo’s value shoots right back up. It’s a waiting game in the Bay Area, and they are nothing if not patient.

49ers Commit To Trey Lance As Starting QB; Jimmy Garoppolo Won’t Land On PUP

July 26th, 2022 at 9:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Trey Lance era in San Francisco has officially begun. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters today that the team is fully committed to last year’s third-overall pick as their starting QB, thus eliminating any QB controversy as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo lingers on the roster.

“We have moved on to Trey,” Shanahan said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “This is Trey’s team. That’s nothing against Jimmy. We made that decision a year ago and we’re going with that. We’re not going to mess around with that anymore. Jimmy understands that fully. That’s a business decision and that’s what makes it not awkward. Jimmy knows we’re going with Trey. Trey knows we’re going with Trey and our team does, and everyone likes both of those guys.”

It has been known since last April that San Francisco would hand the No. 1 role to Lance no later than his second season in the NFL. A deal sending Garoppolo elsewhere has thus been seen as inevitable throughout a 2022 offseason filled with several major moves at the position. The QB’s health obviously played a role in the fact that a trade still hasn’t materialized, but with few suitors (if any) on the market, the organization recently gave Garoppolo permission to seek a trade. According to Wagoner, Garoppolo met with Shanahan and GM John Lynch to discuss their next steps today, the first conversation the trio had had since February. Shanhan also told reporters that he’d like to have Garoppolo off the roster as “soon as we can.”

“We spoke when he left and we had a pretty good understanding of what was going on, and because of the surgery and the ramifications of that in other teams’ eyes, nothing has transpired as of yet,” Lynch said. “But he’s here, he’s reported, we’ll see what happens in the physical and we’ll move forward accordingly.”

Meanwhile, Garoppolo won’t be placed on the physically unable to perform list. As Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets, the quarterback was cleared today after undergoing his physical. This was the intended plan as Garoppolo continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery; Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury tweets that Garoppolo will do his throwing rehab on the sideline while the rest of the team is practicing. Plus, as NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo points out (on Twitter), there was little chance the 49ers were going to fail Garoppolo’s physical as they continue to seek a trade for the veteran. Today’s move also means the 49ers wouldn’t be on the hook for the player’s $7.5MM injury guarantee if he is ultimately released.

Garoppolo isn’t the only major story in San Francisco. We learned earlier today that wideout Deebo Samuel reported to camp despite seeking a new contract. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the two sides are not close on money, but the two sides are on the same page when it comes to Samuel’s role in 2022. The player has expressed a desire to get less carries between the tackles and reduce the wear and tear on his body.

Jimmy Garoppolo Given Permission To Seek Trade

July 20th, 2022 at 4:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

Wednesday has seen a noteworthy, though entirely unsurprising, development in the case of the league’s final starting quarterback in need of a new home. The 49ers have officially given Jimmy Garoppolo permission to seek a trade, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

It has been known since last April that San Francisco would hand the No. 1 role to first-rounder Trey Lance no later than his second season in the NFL. A deal sending Garoppolo elsewhere has thus been seen as inevitable throughout a 2022 offseason filled with several major moves at the position. His health has been chief among the reasons a market hasn’t developed, though.

On that point, Schefter adds that Garoppolo has been cleared to return to practice. That news comes one day after the 30-year-old received an encouraging update on his surgically-repaired throwing shoulder. The 49ers will still “exercise caution” for the foreseeable future, though, and Garoppolo wasn’t expected (as recently as yesterday) to be back on the field until next month.

CBS’ Jonathan Jones tweets that there are teams who have “poked around” regarding the former second-rounder’s availability. Not surprisingly, though, none have seriously considered making a move until they know he has recovered in full. With nearly all of the QB moves having long been made, the list of potential suitors is rather short this late in the offseason. The division rival Seahawks have long been connected to at least entertaining the possibility of adding him, but signing him as a free agent after being released would be far more financially feasible.

Garoppolo has one year remaining on his contract, with a non-guaranteed salary of just over $24MM. Seattle wouldn’t be able to absorb his deal without re-working it, something which isn’t true of the Browns. Potentially in need of a veteran for at least part of the 2022 season, Cleveland has ample cap space to bring in Garoppolo, though their interest has been considered tepid at best to date.

Ultimately, today’s news moves the QB one step closer to the inevitable outcome of joining a new team for the second time in his career. How his market develops in the coming weeks will be worth monitoring as the season approaches.

49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo “Progressing Well” From Shoulder Surgery

July 19th, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Jimmy Garoppolo continues to take positive steps forward as he recovers from his shoulder surgery. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the quarterback recently got a thumbs up from Dr. Neal ElAttrache during a checkup, and it seems like the veteran is “progressing well.”

Per Rapoport, the 49ers are thrilled with where Garoppolo is from a physical standpoint. The expectation continues to be that the QB will be able to make his return to the field in mid-August, and Rapoport hints that the player’s return could quickly lead to a trade out of San Francisco.

We heard recently that Garoppolo had resumed throwing, and Rapoport provided some details on his rehab process. The QB’s focus isn’t on “making one deep” pass attempt; instead, Garoppolo is focused on “making many [passes] in a row” as he attempts to build up for actual game action. Per Rapoport, the belief is that the player’s cuff will end up stronger than it was before the injury. Garoppolo originally injured his shoulder during the team’s Divisional Round win over the Cowboys. The surgery ultimately kept him out of mandatory minicamp.

It sounds like the 49ers are not counting on Garoppolo to be ready for the start of training camp. That means 2021 third-overall pick Trey Lance won’t have to look over his shoulder as he guides the first-team offense through the early parts of camp. It sounds like Garoppolo won’t even get a legitimate look from the 49ers before he’s shipped out via trade, but at the very least, the veteran’s current status eliminates any semblance of a QB competition.

Still, a Garoppolo trade is easier said than done, especially with the majority of his potential suitors now out of the picture. The Browns and Seahawks have most recently been connected to the 30-year-old, but if those squads have legitimate interest, they’d likely wait out their chances and see if Garoppolo ends up hitting free agency. The player’s shoulder somewhat complicates a potential release, but no matter the end result, his return to practice will mark the beginning of the end for Garoppolo in San Francisco.

Browns Unlikely To Pursue Jimmy Garoppolo?

July 14th, 2022 at 10:02am CST by Sam Robinson

Deshaun Watson‘s initial suspension length is unlikely to surface until at least next week, and even that announcement might not happen until the Browns break for training camp. But the likely appeal process should be expected to drag into August, complicating matters for the team that surrendered three first-round picks and change for the former Texans Pro Bowler.

The prospect of Jimmy Garoppolo serving as an emergency option for Cleveland, in the event the NFL does suspend Watson for a full season or close to it, has come up in recent weeks. But the team is comfortable with Jacoby Brissett guiding the offense in Watson’s absence, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who said during an appearance on KNBR’s Tolbert & Copes (h/t 49erswebzone.com) he is not sure the Browns will emerge in the Garoppolo mix.

Not long after acquiring Watson, the Browns traded Case Keenum — their backup of two years — and signed Brissett to a one-year, $4.65MM deal. Cleveland also gave up one of the top trade packages in NFL history for Watson. In addition to the first-rounders being dealt, the Browns gave the Texans a third-rounder (in 2023) and two fourths (in 2022 and ’24). The team’s draft capital may be an issue regarding a Garoppolo pursuit, Fowler adds. Baker Mayfield went for only a 2024 fifth-rounder, and the 49ers are in a somewhat similar salary spot with Garoppolo — attached to a $24.2MM base salary that becomes guaranteed in Week 1 — so draft capital being a hang-up is interesting here.

Brissett, 29, has 37 career starts under his belt; five of those came with the Dolphins last season. The former third-round pick averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt in Miami, though he fared better during the second of his years as the Colts’ primary starter. Garoppolo would certainly be a more inspiring option than Brissett, but the Browns may stand down.

Garoppolo, 30, has resumed throwing. The 49ers could stash him on the active/PUP list to start camp, if they want to both give the veteran QB more recovery time and/or sideline him as they negotiate a trade, but Kyle Shanahan said in June the 49ers would likely have their trade chip at practice instead of stashed on the PUP list. The 49ers excused Garoppolo from minicamp, but he was not ready to throw at that point.

The Seahawks loom as a Garoppolo option but are more likely to wait out a potential release. The Texans have been loosely linked to Garoppolo this offseason, with Nick Caserio having been in New England throughout the ex-Tom Brady backup’s stay there. But Fowler adds it would be a bit of a surprise if Garoppolo ended up in Houston, given the team’s interest in developing Davis Mills.

After the Mayfield trade, Cleveland gained more than $8MM in cap space. The team’s $48.5MM is $25MM north of any other team’s cap room, providing options in the event Watson is shut down for the season. (The 49ers’ $4.9MM in space ranks 30th on that list.) Watson being shelved for all of 2022 would cause his five-year contract to toll, making it a 2023-27 pact. The Browns structured the $230MM guaranteed deal to minimize Watson’s penalties in a suspension — one the team did not expect to be a full-season ban when it made the trade. Watson’s $1MM base salary would move to 2023, pushing the run of $50MM-plus cap figures to 2024 and beyond.

49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo Resumes Throwing

July 13th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Sam Robinson

Jimmy Garoppolo‘s March shoulder surgery is likely the reason he remains with the 49ers. Despite almost every team having addressed its quarterback position, the 49ers will still try to collect an asset for their longtime starter. A change in Garoppolo’s status will help on that front.

The rehabbing QB has resumed throwing, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. In fact, Garoppolo began throwing two or three weeks ago, per Barrows (subscription required). Garoppolo, 30, has rehabbed in the Los Angeles area; the 49ers excused him from their minicamp last month.

Signaling no setbacks have occurred, this news moves the 49ers’ planned separation from Garoppolo closer to reality. Still, Garoppolo’s trade value suffered because of the surgery — one that occurred nearly two months after Baker Mayfield‘s. While the former Browns QB underwent surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, Garoppolo’s right shoulder issue further complicated his status.

Several teams filled their QB needs via trade, including the Panthers, who took a Garoppolo landing spot off the table last week by acquiring Baker Mayfield. Barring an injury, it is difficult to locate an obvious Garoppolo suitor. Prior to the surgery, the 49ers were holding out hope for a Day 2 pick in exchange for Garoppolo, who has gone 37-16 as their starter since 2017. While they received two second-round picks for Alex Smith nine years ago, no injuries clouded that move. And the 2013 offseason brought more of a seller’s market than this offseason presented at quarterback.

The Seahawks have done their due diligence on Garoppolo, but after holding out on a Mayfield trade, the 49ers’ NFC West rivals may again stick to their guns and wait for the other long-rumored trade candidate to hit free agency. The 49ers are going to let Garoppolo’s camp discuss his now-onerous contract with other teams, but the prospect of the ninth-year passer’s $24.2MM salary becoming guaranteed in Week 1 hovers over this drawn-out trade saga.

Jimmy Garoppolo On Seahawks’ Radar

July 11th, 2022 at 1:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks held off on trading for Baker Mayfield, and despite increased scrutiny, the Drew Lock-vs.-Geno Smith competition continues to look like the team’s post-Russell Wilson plan. But the other QB that looms on the trade block is at least on Seattle’s radar.

Jimmy Garoppolo has generated internal discussions among Seahawks brass, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, who adds the team has gone through film of how the four-plus-year 49ers starter would fit (video link). While the Seahawks did not blink as the Panthers finalized their Mayfield trade, a Garoppolo-to-Seattle scenario appears in play.

Although it would be rather reckless if the Seahawks didn’t give Garoppolo a thorough look, given their quarterback situation, Pete Carroll said earlier this offseason he did not expect his team to make a second quarterback trade. Carroll’s QB-related words were not exactly indicative of the team’s plans with Wilson, but the Seahawks have stuck to their guns regarding the search for his successor. Mayfield-Seattle connections were repeatedly shot down, and the NFC West team is now a few weeks away from its Smith-Lock contest going into training camp.

Intra-divisional trades are rare, and not many quarterbacks have been exchanged by division rivals — Drew Bledsoe (2002) and Donovan McNabb (2010) being modern-era exceptions — but Fowler points to the Seahawks potentially waiting out the 49ers on their Garoppolo call. Unless an injury wrecks a team’s QB situation, the 49ers do not have many options with Garoppolo. His $24.2MM salary becomes guaranteed by Week 1, and although a Monday-morning report indicated the expectation is the 49ers will find a trade partner this month, teams may be willing to test San Francisco’s patience. Considering the Seahawks’ patience on the Mayfield front, it is not too difficult to see them standing pat with the Lock-Smith setup and waiting for Garoppolo to hit free agency.

That plan would not give the 30-year-old passer much time to digest the Seahawks’ playbook, and it would open the door to a stealth suitor swooping in. The Browns, who added more than $8MM to their league-leading cap-space figure with their Mayfield trade, could be in play if the imminent Deshaun Watson suspension does cover all of 2022. (Per results in the latest PFR poll, the Garoppolo-to-Cleveland scenario is quite live.) Garoppolo (two top-15 QBR marks in the past three years) would likely be an upgrade on what Seattle has, providing a chance for him to build up his 2023 free agency stock.

The 49ers will let Garoppolo’s camp negotiate his contract with other teams, but going from $24.2MM to where teams would want the QB’s 2022 compensation to land might be a long bridge. Holding more than $16MM in cap space (compared to the 49ers’ $4.9MM), the Seahawks sit in the top 10 for available funds. But they surely will not be interested in paying Garoppolo nearly as much as he is currently set to make.

The ninth-year veteran has not endured a setback in his recovery from shoulder surgery. He remains on track to resuming throwing this month.

Jimmy Garoppolo Expected To Be Traded In July?

July 11th, 2022 at 9:36am CST by Sam Robinson

With Baker Mayfield finally being moved to the Panthers, the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo domino looms. Carolina completing its long-rumored deal with Cleveland removes a Garoppolo destination from the equation, giving San Francisco an interesting task in the weeks to come.

This process could well end with the 49ers releasing Garoppolo, but Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes the expectation around the league is for a trade to be completed by the end of July. Garoppolo remains on schedule to resume throwing soon, according to his agent, who became the latest to refute a weekend connection between the ninth-year quarterback and the Buccaneers (Twitter links).

Facing the prospect of carrying a $26.95MM Garoppolo cap hit (the NFL’s seventh-highest 2022 cap figure), the 49ers will need to have that number off their books before it translates to a vested-veteran guarantee in Week 1. Any Garoppolo trade talks will involve lowering that number, as teams can use Garoppolo’s upcoming guarantee date against the 49ers. San Francisco will let Garoppolo negotiate his contract with other teams to facilitate a trade. Garoppolo making it to free agency would give the veteran more options, but the longer this goes, the more difficult it will be for the 30-year-old QB to maximize his opportunity with a team.

The end-of-July date is interesting. A better deal may emerge in August, with the prospect of teams’ QB depth charts being affected by injuries being more likely then than it will be in July. Garoppolo’s right shoulder surgery has delayed San Francisco’s goal of unloading its former starter. Waiting on a potential injury to change a team’s QB outlook would seemingly benefit the 49ers, as it did the Eagles six years ago. Teddy Bridgewater‘s severe knee injury prompted the Vikings to trade first- and fourth-round picks for Sam Bradford, whose Philadelphia exit cleared the way for Carson Wentz. Garoppolo’s Bay Area departure will begin the latest North Dakota State-produced prospect’s QB1 run.

Bradford’s contract was easier for the Vikings to absorb, with the Eagles having already paid their 2015 trade acquisition an $11MM offseason roster bonus. The Vikings were only responsible for $7MM of Bradford’s salary in 2016. While a team seeing its starter go down during camp could create desperation, the 49ers likely will still be asked to pay some of Garoppolo’s salary. Absent an injury, the Garoppolo market is cold.

Trey Lance is on track to take the reins for the 49ers. The Division I-FCS product cannot be viewed as a sure thing, after an atypical college career and some rookie-year scuffling, but the price the 49ers paid to acquire him points to a starter ascent. Lance struggling in camp could lead to the 49ers keeping the Garoppolo door open, on a price tag that is not $26.95MM, but the team remains hopeful it will find a way to move Garoppolo off its roster ahead of that point.

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