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.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel Unlikely To Be Traded?
49ers wideout Deebo Samuel, who is set to enter a contract year, wants to capitalize on the seismic shift that the league’s receiver market has undergone this offseason. Even before draftmate A.J. Brown landed a $25MM/year deal from the Eagles, Samuel was eyeing that benchmark, and now it seems as though San Francisco will have to pony up that kind of cash if it wants to extend the 2021 First Team All-Pro.
It’s unclear where extension negotiations stand at the moment, but it still seems likely that Samuel will remain with the Niners for at least the 2022 campaign. The club rebuffed all trade inquiries in the run-up to the draft in April, and while Samuel was not present for voluntary OTAs, he did appear for mandatory minicamp (unlike another platform-year peer, D.K. Metcalf). Earlier this month, we heard that player and team were still engaged in contract talks, and the fact that Samuel should not need to be utilized as a between-the-tackles runner this season may help push the two sides closer to an accord.
Further, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that there is “not a lot of league-wide chatter” about a Samuel trade at the moment (Twitter link). Samuel has not formally rescinded his trade request (as far as Fowler knows), but it sounds like rival clubs who might be interested in the South Carolina product believe there is no point in engaging the 49ers in trade talks.
Speculatively, it could be that Samuel realizes re-upping with the 49ers this summer is his best option, as long as he can get close to his current fair market value (which Spotrac estimates to be just shy of $25MM per year). If he stages a “hold-in” at training camp, the club could attempt to prevent him from accruing a fourth year of service time, which would make him a restricted free agent in the 2023 offseason. And, while the team could waive or reduce any fines he accumulates by holding out of training camp — since he is still tethered to his rookie contract — holding out obviously comes with the same service time risks as a hold-in.
If he simply rejects the 49ers’ best offer and opts to play out the final year of his rookie contract in the hopes of hitting free agency in 2023, he would be betting his future earnings to a large extent on the right arm of an unproven second-year passer in Trey Lance (to say nothing of San Francisco’s franchise tag rights). If Samuel fails to replicate his tremendous 2021 performance — 77 catches for 1,405 yards and six scores, good for a league-best 18.2 yards-per-reception, to go along with 59 carries for 365 yards and eight TDs — his market value could certainly take a dip.
49ers Rumors: DEs, Thomas, Hufanga
Last season, the 49ers finished the season as one of the top five teams in the league in sacks. The team was led in sacks by star defender Nick Bosa (15.5), Jaguars’ offseason addition Arden Key (6.5), Arik Armstead (6.0), and Samson Ebukam (4.5). As they turn the page towards the 2022 NFL season, San Francisco is looking at how to replace the production of Key and get a little more out of their pass rushers not named “Bosa,” according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Right now, the starting defensive line likely has some combination of Javon Kinlaw, Armstead, and Bosa. Kinlaw is pretty stationary in terms of his placement on the inside of the line, as is Bosa on the edge, but Armstead and Key both were used as pass rushers from the edge and interior last season. With Key gone and Dee Ford not likely to stay with the team, according to a quote from head coach Kyle Shanahan provided by Cam Inman of 95.7 The Game, one of the favorites to fill that vacant role on the line is free agent acquisition Kerry Hyder.
Referring to Hyder as if he is new to the program is a bit misleading as he is only a year and a half removed from the last time he wore a 49ers jersey. That season in San Francisco was the best of his career as he recorded career-highs in sacks (8.5) and tackles (49) and tallied his second-highest season totals in tackles for loss (10.0) and quarterback hits (18). Hyder has experience and ability to play on the inside of the line like Armstead and Key, but his most effective seasons have seen him line up on the end, making him a prime candidate to complete the starting lineup.
Ebukam was fourth on the team in sacks but, at only 4.5, they didn’t provide quite the impact that was expected from his addition. He and Jordan Willis (who totaled 3.0 sacks last year) specialize as speed rushers that maybe don’t have the versatility to run with the first string. 2022 second-round pick Drake Jackson falls into that category, as well, but, as a rookie, he should have plenty of opportunities to make an impact on the line. Former Colts defensive end Kemoko Turay was brought in, too, but his time in Indianapolis mostly saw him playing on a rotational basis.
Charles Omenihu may be the best competition for Hyder considering that, last year, San Francisco used Omenihu in a very similar role as Key. His large frame could land him more on the inside of the line than the outside, but he claims very similar versatility as Hyder, while lacking the top-end production.
Here are a few other rumors on depth chart decisions the 49ers face this offseason, based on the spring practice breakdowns of Barrows:
- With Jason Verrett still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last September, the 49ers brought in Charvarius Ward on a three-year free agent deal. He ran opposite Emmanuel Moseley with the ones all spring. Barrows noted that last year’s rookie, Ambry Thomas, is currently the No. 3 cornerback on the outside behind Ward and Moseley. Veteran Darqueze Dennard is the first-team unit’s nickel cornerback, though 2022 fifth-round pick Samuel Womack will push him for playing time this season. With those two occupied in the slot, Thomas becomes the team’s top backup option on the outside.
- This offseason, the 49ers saw longtime safety Jaquiski Tartt depart in free agency. They now have a decision to make on who to pair up with Jimmie Ward in the defensive backfield. The top candidates to replace Tartt have been Talanoa Hufanga, George Odum, and Tarvarius Moore. According to Barrows, Hufanga in the clear frontrunner following spring practices. Hufanga took all of the first-team snaps at strong safety while Odum and Moore ran as the second-team strong and free safeties, respectively. Hufanga made three starts as a rookie last year and will look to make the leap to full-time starter alongside Jimmie in 2022.
Latest On 49ers’ Running Backs Room
The 49ers’ running backs room is loaded with talent but loaded, too, with questions marks and a history of injuries. In a breakdown of every San Francisco player from OTAs to minicamp, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows laid out the situation. 
The 49ers counted on a sixth-round rookie as their lead back last year. Elijah Mitchell took over early in the season as the Week 1 starter, Raheem Mostert, ended his year after only two carries. Mitchell went on the start ten games for San Francisco totaling 963 yards in eleven appearances to break the 49ers’ single-season rushing record for a rookie. The one notable drawback on Mitchell’s rookie campaign was that he was inactive for six games, a theme that will be repeated throughout this piece. Continuing on that note, Mitchell had knee surgery in the offseason that forced him to miss all of the team’s spring practices. He’s expected back for training camp and is likely to start the season as the 49ers’ lead back once again.
The top backup running back is a bit up to debate as Barrows believes Jeff Wilson is next in line, while ESPN’s Nick Wagoner asserts that rookie third-round draft pick Tyrion Davis-Price will jump the rest of the room on the depth chart.
Wilson served as the starter when Mitchell missed time last year and took over RB1-duties this spring with Mitchell sidelined. Surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee forced Wilson to miss the first eight games of the year last season, and it took him a little while to regain his footing. Now over a year removed from surgery, Wilson should be back to full strength and provide a strong secondary-option beside Mitchell.
Davis-Price declared for the 2022 NFL Draft early after a strong junior year at LSU where he rushed for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was brought in to shore up a running back room that’s been oft-riddled with injuries, but Davis-Price suffered a minor injury in the first week of OTAs and sat out the remaining work outs. Hopefully, this is the extent of the effect San Francisco’s running back curse has on the 21-year-old.
Trey Sermon was drafted three rounds before Mitchell last year but saw his teammate overtake him on the depth chart as the speed of the game at the NFL-level proved a bit too much for Sermon during his rookie season. Sermon had two starts early in the year, when Mostert and Mitchell were injured and Wilson had yet to return from surgery. Coaches desired that he be more decisive when toting the ball and he found himself sidelined for the last six weeks of the season, once Wilson and Mitchell were back and (relatively) healthy. Sermon served as RB2 this spring with Mitchell out, but, if Wagoner is correct and Davis-Price is slotted in as the second-string running back, Sermon could find himself fourth on the depth chart to start the season, and it’s hard to imagine San Francisco carries more than four running backs into the regular season.
If that last statement is true, and hypothesizing that the 49ers will decide to carry four running backs into September, Sermon will have his work cut out for him as he competes with JaMycal Hasty. The former undrafted free agent isn’t quite the rusher that Sermon is, but Hasty has been the team’s best pass-catching option out of the backfield all spring. If the coaches trust Wilson to return to 100%, they may be able to rely on him on those passing downs, but Hasty’s quickness could grant him favor in those situations. Plus, Hasty’s ability and history returning kickoffs adds a special teams value that Sermon doesn’t provide.
There it is, all laid out. Based on talent, the depth chart likely reads: Mitchell, Wilson, Davis-Price, Sermon, Hasty. Maybe, due to the injury luck they’ve had in seasons past, San Francisco decides they want to utilize 5 of their 53 roster spots on running backs (not including full back Kyle Juszczyk). If not, a top-three of Mitchell, Wilson, and Davis-Price seems likely with a possible fourth-spot being granted to either Sermon or Hasty, depending on need and value.
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.
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.
49ers' Tyrion Davis-Price Pick Factors Into Deebo Samuel Plan?
- The 49ers‘ Tyrion Davis-Price third-round pick was somewhat surprising, but bolstering a backfield featuring other notable assets may be a two-fold solution. While the 49ers have starter Elijah Mitchell, backup Jeff Wilson and 2021 third-rounder Trey Sermon, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the selection of the LSU running back choice doubled as an “olive branch” of sorts to Deebo Samuel. Kyle Shanahan using Samuel as a between-the-tackles back last season is believed to be one of the gripes the disgruntled wide receiver had when he made his trade request in April. Davis-Price joining the backfield will provide more insurance so that Samuel — his 6.2 yards-per-carry figure notwithstanding — will not be needed for such a role in 2022. The 49ers continue to work toward a Samuel extension.
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.
49ers Not Planning To Sign Free Agent C
As they attempt to replace Laken Tomlinson and Alex Mack, the 49ers are light on experience. For now, that is not fazing the team. San Francisco is not planning to chase a free agent upgrade at center, Kyle Shanahan said during minicamp.
The 49ers turned to Jake Brendel as their first-teamer throughout OTAs and have continued this setup at minicamp. Brendel would be an atypical solution. The former UDFA turns 30 before Week 1 and has made three career starts — all as a fill-in with the 2018 Dolphins. Offensive line coach Chris Foerster was Brendel’s position coach during part of his Miami tenure. The 49ers are Brendel’s fifth team.
Mack retirement rumors lingered for weeks, and Shanahan said the coaching staff had been expecting the 13-year veteran to hang up his cleats since March. Mack’s mid-offseason retirement comes two years after Joe Staley did the same. The 49ers moved aggressively to replace Staley, trading for Trent Williams soon after. J.C. Tretter and Matt Paradis would are available, but free agency is not San Francisco’s Mack replacement plan.
“We didn’t want to make it a big thing and go chase stuff, especially when the player that we have in here has done a good job and has shown us in here that he can do it,” Shanahan said, via David Lombardi of The Athletic (subscription required). “… You know all the veterans out there. We’ve had an idea about it for a while, so we’ve been looking at all situations, and right now, we feel like we’re doing the best one for us.”
Shanahan’s praise notwithstanding, Brendel has played six offensive snaps in the past three years. The UCLA alum is not the only option here, but he seems poised to enter training camp as the clear favorite. The 49ers signed Keaton Sutherland, who played in one game with the Bengals last season, and drafted Nick Zakelj in Round 6. Zakelj finished his Fordham career as a tackle, but Lombardi notes the 49ers view him as a possible long-term center option.
The prospect of right guard Daniel Brunskill sliding over is not out of the question, either, with second-year tackle convert Jaylon Moore competing at right guard as well. But Brunskill’s 35 straight guard starts suddenly look important for interior-line continuity purposes. Second-round pick Aaron Banks (five 2021 offensive snaps) is set to take over for Tomlinson, a five-year 49ers starter, at left guard.
No matter who wins the center job, the 49ers will move to their fourth primary snapper in four years. Weston Richburg‘s late-2019 injury — what became a career-ending malady — threw the team’s pivot plans off course.
“Jake made our team last year as a backup center,” Shanahan said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to believe they have an ability to start. We had a lot of confidence last year in Jake to make the team. If Mack would’ve ever missed a game or something, we wouldn’t have hesitated and we would’ve gone into that game very confident with him. We also have guys like Brunskill who has done it before, and I think we have some young guys who can do it.”
John Lynch Addresses Decision To Turn Down Amazon Offer
John Lynch came out of nowhere, at least regarding a personnel background, to become the 49ers’ general manager in 2017. The Hall of Fame safety had spent most of the previous decade as a FOX analyst. Amid a run of NFL broadcast-booth changes this offseason, Amazon presented Lynch a lucrative offer to return to the booth.
The sixth-year San Francisco GM turned down Amazon’s offer — one reportedly worth far more than his GM salary — to stay with the 49ers. He decided to do so shortly after the team’s season-ending loss to the Rams.
“Kyle [Shanahan] asked me to address the team, and that’s when the clarity really came to me because I didn’t know,” Lynch said, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, regarding how he would proceed with Amazon. “I wasn’t going to address it [the job offer] until after the season.
“I looked at myself and said, ‘How do I sit up here and address these guys and talk about having the fortitude to fight through the pain of losing a game like this and then turn around and bolt on them?’ I couldn’t do it. I knew right then what I was going to do. I’m happy to be a part of the Niners.”
During a historically unstable period in which the 49ers went through four head coaches in four years, Shanahan took the reins in 2017. Lynch came in soon after. Both received six-year contracts. The 49ers showed patience in the duo, which struggled during a two-year stretch largely spent without a viable starting quarterback, and it paid off when the 2019 team made a surprise Super Bowl LIV run. Shanahan and Lynch signed extensions in 2020, and the 2021 season put the team back on track.
Shanahan and 49ers CEO Jed York advised Lynch to listen to Amazon’s offer. The 50-year-old exec spent nine seasons in the booth, working with FOX from 2008-16. Three years remain on Lynch’s 49ers extension, with this year — which is expected to feature a Jimmy Garoppolo trade and Trey Lance‘s ascension — being a key point on the Shanahan-Lynch regime’s timeline.
“It’s silly. It’s stupid. It really is,” Lynch said. “When Amazon came and started talking to me, I said, ‘You want to pay me what? Are you serious? Are you sure?‘”
The winning coach from that NFC title game, Sean McVay, also had to fend off network interest during an offseason that has seen FOX, NBC and ESPN’s top broadcast teams broken up. Amazon played a role in this, with longtime NBC play-by-play man Al Michaels signing on with the league’s newest broadcast partner. Amazon, which has Kirk Herbstreit set to work with Michaels, will air Thursday-night games this season. Given the money being thrown around to top-tier announcers following Tony Romo‘s CBS extension, active coaches, execs and players will likely continue to be linked to TV gigs.