A lot of dominoes have fallen around the NFL this offseason, especially when it comes to quarterback movement. But it’s Day 13 of the 2022 NFL league year and Jimmy Garoppolo is on the 49ers.
San Francisco general manager John Lynch has resorted to a host of low-profile moves this offseason, with the biggest signing being cornerback Charvarius Ward. No Jimmy G trade. No extensions for Deebo Samuel or Nick Bosa. Key losses like D.J. Jones and Laken Tomlinson to free agency.
Lynch spoke to reporters Monday at the NFL’s owners meetings in South Florida and was asked if he can imagine a scenario where the 49ers release Garoppolo, which would free up $25.5 million of cap space.
“I don’t foresee that, he’s too good a player,” Lynch said. “I don’t foresee that. I think Jimmy will be playing for us or he’ll be playing for someone else. He’s too good a player not to be.”
You have to wonder if the market cooled on Garoppolo once he underwent shoulder surgery right before the NFL league calendar flipped. There's still a month until the 2022 NFL Draft, but player movement around the league has cooled after a wild few weeks.
At this point, the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans might be looking for upgrades over Drew Lock and Davis Mills, respectively, but there’s not an obvious suitor for Garoppolo. The Carolina Panthers were previously viewed as a possible landing spot, but Panthers GM Scott Fitterer recently told reporters he hasn’t had any conversations with other teams about trading for a quarterback, per David Bonilla of 49ers Web Zone.
So, it’s entirely possible that Garoppolo will be making $26.9 million as a backup quarterback for second-year starter Trey Lance this season. This despite Garoppolo bidding adieu to the 49ers Faithful in January after the team lost in the NFC Championship. During the playoffs, Garoppolo admitted that the dynamic with Lance weighed on him throughout the season.
“It's always in the back of your mind,” Garoppolo said in January. “It has been in mine, you know, really this whole season.”
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Garoppolo figured he was a short-term solution once the team used three first-rounders and third-rounder to move up to get Lance in the 2020 draft. After playing in just 10 quarters of meaningful action last year, Lance appears primed to take over as starter this fall.
It could be a potentially awkward situation in the quarterback room in 2022, but Lynch doesn’t sound worried.
“I don’t think it ever was awkward last year,” Lynch said. I don’t want to speak for those guys. I think Jimmy at the end, when he was saying his farewell, he may have indicated that. But it never felt awkward. I give both of those guys credit for that. … When you have strength at that position it’s a good thing for your team.”
Another scenario to consider is Garoppolo restructuring his contract to enable the franchise to re-sign Deebo or Bosa. But Garoppolo clearly isn’t a part of the team’s future, so he would be leaving money on the table for benefits he likely wouldn’t see as a player. Perhaps the 49ers can find a nice price point – below the $26.9 million but above what Garoppolo could get as a free agent – and both parties can get a fair deal out of it.
Either way, a whole new can of worms appears to be opening for Lynch this year and the franchise will have to do a dance with Jimmy G to make it all work.
