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Buccaneers Discussing Tristan Wirfs Move To Left Tackle

By | at March 8, 2023 4:47 pm

Tristan Wirfs became extension-eligible in January; he could soon have a chance to increase his price. The Buccaneers are considering shifting Wirfs from right to left tackle.

The team has discussed this change, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes Wirfs is open to a move. This is not viewed as a lock just yet, but The Athletic’s Dan Pompei writes the assumption is the former first-round pick will change positions ahead of his fourth season (subscription required).

Unlike a number of NFL right tackles, Wirfs did not primarily play on the left side in college. He spent more time on the right side while at Iowa, though his 2019 All-American year included three blindside starts. This would be an interesting transition for Wirfs, and the Bucs have laid the groundwork for it by cutting Donovan Smith.

Smith, 29, spent the past eight seasons as Tampa Bay’s left tackle; only Paul Gruber enjoyed a longer run at that spot in the franchise’s 47-season history. Smith signed three contracts with the Bucs but will now be in search of a second team, as the franchise that pushed its chips in during Tom Brady‘s tenure deals with a cap crunch. The Bucs making Smith a cap casualty opens the door for Wirfs, 24, to make his mark at the higher-profile tackle spot.

Other high-end right tackles have been connected to possible position changes. Lane Johnson was once viewed as a Jason Peters heir apparent in Philadelphia, and Ryan Ramczyk has been mentioned as a candidate to switch sides in New Orleans. Both have stayed at right tackle, however, and a Wirfs switch does run the risk of the Bucs cutting into one of their biggest strengths — after a season in which the team struggled at the non-Wirfs O-line spots. Wirfs earned first-team All-Pro recognition in 2021 and second-team acclaim last season. He became an instant starter as a rookie and provided strong protection for Brady during the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV-winning march.

By exercising Wirfs’ fifth-year option (which the Bucs will do) by May, they can push out his contract year to 2024. If this position move comes to pass and Wirfs thrives on the left side, his price will likely rise. The league’s top three left tackles each earn north of $22MM per year; no right tackle is tied to a deal past the $19.2MM-AAV mark. The top right tackle deal (Ramczyk’s) also contains language that would bump his pay if he moved to left tackle and excelled.

Following through with this transition will also shift the Bucs’ top need up front to right tackle. Although this is a good year to need a right tackle, as free agency will feature a few quality options, the Bucs would seemingly focus on the draft here. They still have a ways to go to move under the salary cap.

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Buccaneers To Release LT Donovan Smith

By | at March 7, 2023 1:21 pm

Donovan Smith‘s lengthy Buccaneers tenure looks to be wrapping after eight seasons. The Bucs are planning to release the veteran left tackle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

Tampa Bay’s left tackle starter since 2015, Smith had one season remaining on his contract. The Bucs entered Tuesday more than $40MM over the cap. The team needs to spring into action to become cap-compliant, and this Smith cut will help on that front. The Bucs will save more than $9MM by releasing Smith. Designating Smith as a post-June 1 release would save the Bucs more money, but the team needs the savings now, which will likely take that move off the table.

This transaction will help the Bucs along the way to moving under the 2023 cap, but it will also create a blindside void for whomever will be playing quarterback in Tampa next season. Smith had started all 124 games he had played with the Bucs, who selected him in the 2015 second round. Going into his age-30 season, the Super Bowl-winning edge protector will have a chance to bounce back elsewhere.

Jones has offered tremendous durability as well, having only missed more than one game in one season. That came in 2022, however, with an elbow injury sidetracking the experienced blocker. Smith missed four games, adding to a nightmare season for Tampa Bay’s offensive front. The Bucs saw Ryan Jensen make a surprising return for their wild-card matchup, after having torn multiple knee ligaments in training camp. But they missed longtime guard starters Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet. With Smith’s release, only two of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl blocking bastions are left: Jensen and right tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Pro Football Focus, long skeptical about Smith’s performance level, slotted the Penn State alum as a top-15 tackle in 2021. But he fell out of the top 60 at the position, per the advanced metrics site, in 2022. Todd Bowles considered benching Smith, who now stands to join Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency. The Chiefs are not franchise-tagging Brown for a second time. That plan and the Bucs’ Smith release will add two experienced left tackles to the market, one that did not look to house much in the way of quality heading into the week.

The Bucs had previously given Smith two extensions — a three-year deal ahead of free agency in 2019 and a two-year re-up in 2021 — with the most recent being worth $15.5MM per year. The Bucs will still be more than $40MM over the cap, even after releasing Smith, Leonard Fournette and Cameron Brate. Created largely by Tom Brady‘s restructures, this bill will test the Bucs in the days leading up to the 2023 league year. More cuts are coming.

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Buccaneers Unlikely To Use Franchise Tag On CB Jamel Dean

By | at March 7, 2023 11:54 am

The Buccaneers have made good use of the franchise tag in recent years but it does not appear to be part of their 2023 plans. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that cornerback Jamel Dean is not expected to be tagged ahead of this afternoon’s deadline. Jamel Dean (vertical)

Dean is the top pending free agent on a Buccaneers roster which won the NFC South in 2022, but is set to undergo at least a few major changes. One of those will be under center, but keeping the team’s secondary intact will be a key priority. Meeting that goal would include coming to terms on a long-term deal with Dean, but declining to tag him will all-but guarantee his ability to test the open market.

The 26-year-old has taken on an increased role over the course of his four-year tenure in Tampa Bay. He logged 23 starts across his first three seasons, but was a full-time starter for the first time in 2022. He saw a 90% snap share this year, operating as a key member of the Bucs’ secondary. The former third-rounder recorded two interceptions, eight pass deflections and 67 total tackles. His strong coverage numbers (including a 55.4% completion percentage allowed) continued from the previous year in particular.

That has Dean well-positioned to cash in on a new contract from the Buccaneers or another team. The franchise tag for corners is set at $18.3MM this year, a figure which would be hard to swallow up front for Tampa Bay given their current financial situation. The Buccaneers are more than $58MM over the salary cap at the moment, and need to become cap compliant by next week, when the new league year begins. A multi-year deal with Dean would allow the team to manipulate his 2023 cap hit to a lower figure as they try to retain as many core players as possible.

Dean is sure to be a priority, but the same is true of other key defenders like linebacker Lavonte David and safety Mike Edwards. By declining to use the tag, Tampa Bay will let those players and several other notable free agents test the market in free agency, a departure from their decisions with edge rusher Shaquil Barrett in 2020 and receiver Chris Godwin in each of the past two years. Both players spent one season on the tag before ultimately signing new deals.

Dean is likely to command a sizeable market for himself, as one of the youngest corners in this year’s free agent class. Veterans like James Bradberry and Marcus Peters have longer track records of ball production, but Dean’s coverage abilities could see him land a lucrative deal which Tampa Bay cannot afford to match. Should he depart, the Bucs would need to find a starting-caliber replacement amidst their other financial challenges.

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Buccaneers Plan To Cut Cameron Brate

By | at March 2, 2023 11:13 am

The Buccaneers are an NFL-high $56MM over the cap, and they have less than two weeks to become compliant with the league’s $224.8MM salary ceiling. Cuts and restructures are coming. One of them will involve one of the team’s longest-tenured players.

Tampa Bay plans to release Cameron Brate, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The veteran tight end has been with the team since 2014, having stuck around this long despite being a UDFA. The Bucs will save just more than $2MM through this cut.

This comes after Brate suffered a scary injury midway through last season. A sprained neck led to Brate being stretchered off the field in Pittsburgh, leading to a three-game absence. Brate, who had been bumped down in Tampa Bay’s pecking order during Rob Gronkowski‘s time with the team, returned but did not make a substantial statistical impact. He finished the year with 20 receptions for 174 yards and no touchdowns.

Brate, 31, has been with the Bucs since before their Jameis Winston draft investment. The Harvard alum’s 2,857 career receiving yards rank second among tight ends in team history, behind only Jimmie Giles‘ 4,300. Brate’s total tops every Bucs tight end since 1987. Although 6-foot-5 pass catcher has played a complementary role behind Mike Evans (and often others) throughout his Tampa tenure, he has been a valuable player for the team.

The Bucs gave Brate a rare six-year contract back in 2018, with the deal being worth $40.8MM. This came after he served as a key Winston target, totaling 1,251 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns from 2016-17. The Bucs’ O.J. Howard first-round pick changed Brate’s role a bit, as did Bruce Arians‘ arrival; Brate never topped 350 receiving yards after that 2017 slate. The Bucs twice restructured Brate’s contract, adding two void years. That created a $2.96MM dead-money charge.

Reduced role aside, Brate teamed with Gronk and Howard in one of the higher-profile tight end stables in recent NFL history, collecting a Super Bowl ring in the process. Brate made a notable contribution during the Bucs’ 2020 playoff run, catching 14 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown in the postseason to help the Tom Brady-led team to a home Super Bowl. Barring a second Brady unretirement, Brate also caught the legendary quarterback’s final touchdown pass — an 8-yarder in the Bucs’ wild-card loss to the Cowboys.

This cut comes not long after the Bucs agreed to release Leonard Fournette. Others from the Super Bowl year will be gone as well, via releases or the team letting them walk in free agency. Todd Bowles has said the team is not expected to be particularly active on the market. Before that point, however, Tampa Bay must clear more than $50MM in salary to move under the cap.

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2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at February 28, 2023 2:45 pm

As the head coaching carousel spun for several weeks, many teams made coordinator changes as well. Teams seeking new head coaches are conducting OC and DC searches, and a handful of other teams that did not make HC changes are also searching for top assistants.

This is a big year for offensive coordinator hires, with nearly half the league making changes. Here are the teams searching for new OCs and DCs. As new searches emerge, they will be added to the list.

Updated 3-1-23 (3:31pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals 

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Greg Roman)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Ben McAdoo)

  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach, (Rams): Hired
  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Brian Angelichio, tight ends coach (Vikings): Interviewed 2/2
  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed
  • Jeff Nixon, running backs coach (Panthers): Interviewed
  • Brian Schottenheimer, offensive consultant (Cowboys): Hired

Denver Broncos (Out: Justin Outten)

Houston Texans (Out: Pep Hamilton)

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Parks Frazier)

  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Tee Martin, wide receivers coach (Ravens): Interview requested

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach (Chiefs): Hired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Joe Lombardi)

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Liam Coen)

New York Jets (Out: Mike LaFleur)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Shane Steichen)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Todd Downing)

Washington Commanders (Out: Scott Turner)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Vance Joseph)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dean Pees)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Leslie Frazier)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Al Holcomb)

  • Ejiro Evero, former defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Marquand Manuel, safeties coach (Jets): Interviewed
  • Kris Richard, co-defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans 

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Renaldo Hill)

  • Derrick Ansley, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Promoted
  • Doug Belk, defensive coordinator (Houston): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Interviewed

Miami Dolphins (Out: Josh Boyer)

Minnesota Vikings (Out: Ed Donatell)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard)

  • Joe Woods, former defensive coordinator (Browns): Hired

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Jonathan Gannon)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: DeMeco Ryans)

  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): On radar
  • Chris Harris, defensive backs coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/31
  • Kris Kocurek, defensive line coach (49ers): On radar
  • Steve Wilks, former interim head coach (Panthers): Hired
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Buccaneers To Cut RB Leonard Fournette

By | at February 28, 2023 1:25 pm

In the league’s worst cap shape, the Buccaneers will need to make a number of moves to comply with the NFL’s new salary ceiling by March 15. One of them looks to be parting ways with their starting running back.

The Bucs plan to release Leonard Fournette, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This will create nearly $4MM in cap space while also carrying some dead money, with Tampa Bay having just re-signed Fournette last year. Fournette would have received an additional $2MM in guarantees on Day 5 of the 2023 league year (March 19), Pelissero tweets, leading to this transaction.

This was a mutual decision. Fournette said he wanted out due to the team likely shifting into a rebuilding phase, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The six-year veteran said he asked the team for the release, confirming Tom Brady‘s retirement would signal his own Tampa exit.

“Winning is everything,” Fournette said, via Stroud (on Twitter). “That’s all. And my last three years here, that’s all we’ve done. But since my guy [Brady] left, that’s why I came so my time here was up. I asked after the season to be [released], and they respected my wishes. So, no bad blood.”

Fournette, 28, played a major role in the Bucs securing their second Super Bowl title and resurrected his career in Tampa, following an unceremonious end to his Jacksonville run. But the Bucs featured the NFL’s worst rushing attack last season. Fournette averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and did not surpass 700 yards on the ground despite playing 16 games.

The Bucs agreed to three contracts with Fournette. The team signed him after the Jaguars shed his first-round contract back in 2020, gave him a one-year deal in 2021 and authorized a three-year pact in 2022. The most recent contract was for three years and $21MM — matching 2017 draft classmate James Conner‘s 2022 Cardinals pact — that included $9MM guaranteed at signing. The Bucs will pick up $3.4MM in cap savings but eat $5MM in dead money.

A former top-five pick, Fournette totaled 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns during Tampa Bay’s four-game playoff run in 2020. Earning “Playoff Lenny” and “Lombardi Lenny” aliases, the LSU product morphed from a Ronald Jones backup to the centerpiece of Tampa Bay’s ground attack. He totaled 1,266 scrimmage yards in 14 games in 2021, taking over as the team’s full-time starter. That baton may well be passed to Rachaad White, whom the Bucs draft in the third round last year.

While White did not fare too much better on a per-carry basis last year (3.7), his rookie contract runs through 2025. The Bucs will almost definitely be saying goodbye to more Brady-era starters, thanks to their former quarterback’s $35.1MM void-years bill coming due. Fournette will be hitting free agency at a bad time, with numerous starter-caliber backs set to flood the market. But he made it clear he will try to catch on with a contender — almost certainly at a reduced rate from his 2022 Bucs pact.

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Buccaneers Plan To Add Veteran QB, Give Kyle Trask Shot At Starting Job

By | at February 24, 2023 2:18 pm

Losing this century’s defining NFL player to retirement, the Buccaneers will look quite different in 2023. The team will give the former second-round pick groomed during Tom Brady‘s final years a shot.

During the OC interview process, the Bucs told candidates they planned to give Kyle Trask a legitimate opportunity to win the job, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes. Trask has played in one game over two seasons, but with Brady retired and Blaine Gabbert a free agent, a path exists to an unlikely ascent.

That said, Stroud adds the Bucs will pursue a veteran passer or two. But their salary cap situation — an issue largely present because of the $35.1MM void-years tab Brady’s restructure created — will obviously influence the team’s decision. The Bucs told coordinator candidates their cap situation will shape their quarterback search.

Tampa Bay chose Trask 64th overall in 2021 and parked him behind Brady and Gabbert for two years. While the ex-Florida Gator passer has scant game tape to judge (in the regular season, that is), he has generated some buzz among teammates. Some among the Bucs believe Trask can make a push for the QB1 job.

The Bucs have been loosely connected to Derek Carr, but they are not in the driver’s seat. They sit a league-most $56.5MM over the cap as of Friday afternoon. Numerous transactions will be required to comply with the 2023 salary ceiling. That would point to the Bucs passing on the likes of Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo. Cheaper options will be available. Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Andy Dalton, Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, Taylor Heinicke, Mike White and Mason Rudolph are among the options that are unlikely to exceed midlevel contracts at the position in free agency.

Trask, 24, has completed 58.8% of his preseason passes. He spent two seasons as Florida’s starter, winding up on the second-round radar thanks to his 2020 finale. Trask threw 43 touchdown passes during a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, helping turn Kyle Pitts into a top-five draftee. The Bucs did not view Trask as having progressed to the point of beating out Gabbert for the backup job during training camp last year, however.

“Yeah, so with Kyle, the QB run stuff, QB read stuff won’t be a big feature of what we do,” new Bucs OC Dave Canales said, via Stroud. “But as far as everything else that we do in terms of the play-actions and the keeper game, he’s plenty athletic enough. He’s got short-space quickness. … he’s got plenty of athleticism to run our system.”

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NFC South Notes: Panthers, Lombardi, Bucs

By | at February 24, 2023 2:01 pm

Drawing a few negative headlines during his five-year run as Panthers owner, David Tepper has seen his team continue a years-long search for a quality quarterback. Carolina will be at it again this offseason. Although Tepper’s multi-offseason push for Deshaun Watson stalled near the end zone, the Panthers came close to acquiring Matthew Stafford in 2021. After negotiations with Lions GM Brad Holmes, team brass left the Senior Bowl convinced it would land the longtime Detroit QB. The Rams subsequently swooped in, and Joe Person of The Athletic notes Tepper mandated his staff slow down on Stafford due to wanting more information on his injury history (subscription required).

At that point, Stafford had only missed games in one of the previous 10 seasons. Though, the rocket-armed QB had played through a host of injuries during his 12-year Lions run. This delay, however, helped allow the Rams time to formulate a trade package that ended up sending the talented QB to Los Angeles and Jared Goff to Detroit. This could have been a moot point, with Stafford indicating he did not want to play for the Panthers, but Carolina did offer its first-round pick (No. 8 overall) and more for a passer without a no-trade clause. The Panthers sent three picks for Sam Darnold soon after. Darnold is a few weeks from free agency.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Frank Reich has praised Tepper for his willingness to spend for assistant coach talent. This included what looks to have become a defensive coordinator bidding war. Shortly after the Broncos let Ejiro Evero out of his contract, the hot HC candidate drew interest from the Panthers and Vikings. Carolina outbid Minnesota to land the defensive coordinator, Person adds. The Panthers have also added ex-HCs Jim Caldwell and Dom Capers, along with Josh McCown, to Reich’s staff.
  • Broncos ownership could also outmuscle teams for assistants. It is not known what kind of interest Joe Lombardi drew, but the new Denver assistant also drew interest from the Saints, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com tweets. The two-year Chargers OC spent 12 years under Payton in New Orleans. The Saints are keeping Broncos OC candidate Ronald Curry on staff as QBs coach, but they were unable to lure Lombardi back to town. Lombardi is set for a coordinator-type role in Denver.
  • The Buccaneers will fill their quarterbacks coach post by promoting former NFL passer Thad Lewis, in news reported by Seahawks QB Geno Smith (Twitter link). Lewis and Smith played against each other as Miami high schoolers and have remained close; the free agent-to-be clarified (via Twitter) this was the reason — not a sudden interest in joining the Bucs — for his excitement. The Bucs employed Lewis as their assistant wide receivers coach over the past two years, with the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud adding Bruce Arians had visions of Lewis as a future offensive coordinator (Twitter link). Smith and the Seahawks have begun negotiations.
  • Tampa Bay hired Dave Canales as OC, from Seattle’s staff, to help fix its league-worst rushing attack. Leonard Fournette did not make the same impact he had in 2021. While the Bucs signed Fournette to a three-year, $21MM deal in March 2022, the running back has changed agents (Twitter link). The seventh-year running back is now with GSE Worldwide.
  • North Carolina’s tight ends coach, John Lilly will be making an NFL move in the same state. The Panthers will keep Lilly in North Carolina, bringing him in to coach their tight ends, Person tweets. Lilly, who worked on the 2019 Browns’ staff, overlapped at Georgia with new Panthers OC Thomas Brown in 2015. He has 30-plus years’ experience at the college and pro levels.
  • Former Colts staffer Brian Decker will follow Frank Reich to Carolina. The Panthers announced Decker is now the team’s vice president of development, a role Darin Gantt of Panthers.com notes will involve evaluating and developing players and coaches. A 22-year military veteran, Decker joined the Colts in 2017 and was in on the interviews that produced Reich’s hire.
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Buccaneers To Add George Edwards, Skip Peete To Staff

By | at February 21, 2023 2:42 pm

The Buccaneers will provide landing spots for two recently dismissed Cowboys coaches. The NFC South team is hiring George Edwards and Skip Peete, according to NFL.com’s Jane Slater and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman (Twitter links).

As they prepared a transition away from Kellen Moore, the Cowboys informed Peete they were not renewing his contract. Despite Dan Quinn agreeing to return for a third season, Edwards also received word he was not coming back. Todd Bowles has previously worked with both and will bring them aboard his retooled coaching staff.

Edwards, 56, will coach Tampa Bay’s outside linebackers, per Auman. This will be their third run on the same staff; Bowles and Edwards previously coached together in Cleveland and Miami during the 2000s. Peete’s first Cowboys tour of duty overlapped with Bowles’ Dallas stay; the two were on Wade Phillips‘ first Cowboys staff in 2007. Peete, 60, will be the Bucs’ running backs coach, Slater notes. This is unsurprising; Peete has held that title exclusively during his lengthy NFL stay.

Edwards is best known for his run as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. He held that title for six years under Mike Zimmer. From 2015-19, the Vikings rolled out a top-10 scoring defense in each season. That unit did well to help Minnesota to the playoffs thrice, each season coming with a different quarterback. Micah Parsons gave Edwards significant praise after learning of his departure. A senior defensive assistant in Dallas, Edwards played a lead role in unleashing Parsons, who roved between off-ball linebacker and edge rusher during his dominant start.

The Bucs will be the fifth NFL team to employ Peete as running backs coach since his 1998 NFL entrance. Most recently, Peete aided the development of Tony Pollard, who broke through for a career-high yards from scrimmage total en route to a Pro Bowl nod last season. Despite re-signing Leonard Fournette on a three-year, $21MM deal, the Bucs are coming off a last-place rushing season. Peete will work under new Bucs OC Dave Canales.

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Latest On 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo

By | at February 18, 2023 7:50 pm

The 49ers endured one of the more bizarre situations under center in 2022, highlighted by their ability to qualify for the NFC title game despite major injuries being suffered by each of their top three quarterbacks. That leaves their outlook heading into the offseason rather cloudy, with the likely exception of Jimmy Garoppolo.

The veteran was long thought to be on his way out of the Bay Area last offseason, with Trey Lance formally named the team’s starter moving forward. Garoppolo’s offseason shoulder surgery complicated a potential acquisition, though, and he remained in the Bay Area on a re-worked contract. That proved to be a wise move for both parties, after Lance’s ankle injury thrust Garoppolo back into the starter’s role.

The 31-year-old won seven of his 10 starts this year, helping keep the team stay consistent on offense. Garoppolo played himself into consideration for another 49ers pact, but he suffered yet another major injury which kept him sidelined for the stretch run and postseason. In no small part because of that, he is expected to depart in free agency this time around.

Garoppolo has long been considered one of the league’s best locker room presences and a team-friendly passer to build around. However, the tone struck by head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch during the team’s season-ending media availabilities pointed to tension between themselves and the former Patriots second-rounder. Indeed, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic notes that the relationship between Garoppolo and San Francisco’s brain trust “seems to have gone a bit south” in the time leading up to the NFC championship game (subscription required).

A Garoppolo return was at one point thought to be in play before the 49ers’ loss to the Eagles, but the Super Bowl was understood to be the earliest point at which he realistically would have been able to suit up. That scenario never developed, with rookie sensation Brock Purdy and emergency backup Josh Johnson each suffering injuries in the NFC title game. Kawakami adds that he isn’t aware of a singular incident which led to a cooling of relations around Garoppolo, but the latter’s presence in 2023 would no doubt complicate the situation with Lance and Purdy.

Given the current QB landscape in the NFL, Garoppolo is likely to have no shortage of suitors. The Jets – who have been connected countless times to a potential Aaron Rodgers trade and recently met with free agent Derek Carr – have reportedly done homework on him. Given his background in the Bay Area, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo names the Texans (now led by HC DeMeco Ryans) as another squad to watch (video link). He adds the Titans, Raiders and Buccaneers to the list of potential destinations for Garoppolo, who will become increasingly sought-after if the likes of Lamar Jackson, Daniel Jones and Geno Smith play on the franchise tag.

Garoppolo’s impressive win-loss record in San Francisco is weighed down by his myriad of injury troubles, but leaving the team on a relatively sour note would represent an underwhelming end to his tenure there. He figures to have plenty of options with respect to his next chapter, however.

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