What happens if Jimmy Garoppolo keeps winning?
The 49ers quarterback is 3-1 in the postseason for his career but 4-1 will be tough to reach, as No. 6-seeded San Francisco travels to top-seeded Green Bay to face the Packers Saturday in the NFC Divisional Round.
NFL insider Peter King joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” Tuesday to share his thoughts on Jimmy G’s future. You can listen to the full interview above.
While King started off by saying, “I'd really try to hang on to him because I think what he gives you is the ability to not have to rely on something uncertain at quarterback in 2022,” he also described why Garoppolo can be such a valuable trade chip.
"Having said that, I think that there is still – despite the fact that you saw that late-game interception, despite the fact that now it looks like his shoulder is hurt, despite the fact he's hurt a lot – I still think there's a good chance to very good chance that if the 49ers want to get a one [first-round pick] for him.” King said. “They could. Now a lot of people say, ‘You’re out of your mind. They’ll never do that.’”
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But King defended his logic, noting that some high-profile quarterbacks are facing a lot of question marks heading into 2022.
“I think because of the uncertainty of Aaron Rodgers, the uncertainty of Russell Wilson and the uncertainty of Deshaun Watson – there might not be, before the draft, a franchise quarterback available to trade,” King said. “Look at all the teams that need a quarterback. That’s why I think somebody’s going to step up and maybe give more than they believe is value for Garoppolo. The problem is, if you don’t have a quarterback, you have no chance. Jimmy Garoppolo’s not a top-five quarterback in the league, but when he’s healthy he’s pretty good. He’s better than half the teams in the league have right now.”
A first-round pick for someone of Garoppolo’s ilk seems like a steep price to me, but the 30-year-old is 36-15 as a starter with the 49ers, including playoffs. If the 49ers can somehow deal Jimmy G for a first-rounder and effectively deploy Trey Lance to be next year’s starter – in the second season of his rookie deal – that’d probably be the ideal scenario for the franchise. Sounds like that situation might not be too far-fetched.
“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen,” King said. “I can’t predict the future. But certainly, if the 49ers won this weekend, and Garoppolo was good, there's no question in my mind that somebody will step up and give a one for him.”
