Speculation surrounding the 2022 49ers quarterback has run rampant since the team lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game.
Jimmy Garoppolo is a central figure in the situation, as many expect San Francisco to trade the veteran signal-caller at some point this offseason and hand the offense to Trey Lance. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Garoppolo is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right shoulder soon.
Schefter shared the news via Twitter on Tuesday, along with some other details, like when to expect Garoppolo to return to the practice field.
Garoppolo injured himself trying to break his fall against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card game on Jan. 16. The injury was actually the result of Garoppolo trying to avoid further damage to his right thumb, which he sprained in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans.
The words ‘shoulder surgery’ are always a bit scary to hear for a quarterback, especially when it’s his throwing shoulder. But the fact Schefter said there is still “significant interest” in Garoppolo is probably the best-case scenario for the 49ers.
If you really want to parse words, it’s worth noting that Schefter said Garoppolo’s “trade status” instead of “trade value” in his initial tweet. Any quarterback coming off of fresh shoulder surgery might be a bargaining chip for another team to lower their asking price in a potential Jimmy G trade.
Earlier this offseason, an anonymous NFL exec reportedly said the Washington Commanders could justify sending the No. 11 pick to the Niners for Garoppolo. Most other projections see Garoppolo returning a package centered around second-or-third round selection. Garoppolo completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 regular-season games, before helping the 49ers reach their second NFC Championship in three years.
From Schefter’s knowledge you can still assume Garoppolo is on the move, but stay tuned to see if Jimmy G’s health status affects his value on the trade market.
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Aside from giving Lance the opportunity to start, San Francisco has incentive to move Garoppolo this offseason. According to Spotrac, Garoppolo is due $26.95 million in 2022 (11th among QBs) but the 49ers can save $25.5 million by trading or releasing him. That freed up money could go a long way in the franchise’s attempts to lock up Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa long term.
The 2022 NFL league year starts on March 16 at 1 p.m. PT, when teams are able to sign free agents and trade players. That’s 15 days from now, meaning Garoppolo could just be starting his surgery recovery when the NFL flips the league calendar. The NFL Draft begins on April 28 and there could be plenty of high-profile quarterback movement between now then.
Under the assumption Garoppolo is traded before the draft, an early July return would mean he would miss his first round of Offseason Team Activities with his new team, as those are usually held in late May/early June. NFL training camps usually start in late July, so he conceivably could be back by then, according to Schefter's timeline.
