The San Francisco 49ers may not have had much trade interest in Jimmy Garopolo, but one division rival was ready to pounce if the team decided to cut him.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Rams were eyeing Garoppolo if he were to be released by the Niners.
The defending Super Bowl champions would have signed Garoppolo to be the backup to Matthew Stafford — a move the 49ers are thankful did not happen.
“It was going to be such a Rams move to make,” one member of the 49ers organization told Schefter. “Sean McVay and Kevin Demoff would have been basking in it.”
Stafford had dealt with an elbow injury last season and even experienced with some soreness with it during training camp. While Stafford struggled in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, head coach Sean McVay said the quarterback’s elbow was OK.
The Rams current backup quarterback is John Wolford, so Garoppolo would have certainly been an upgrade and gave the team an enormous insurance policy if Stafford were to get hurt.
Alas, the Niners and Garoppolo worked out a deal and instead he will be backing up first-year starter Trey Lance as the Niners look to dethrone the Rams in the NFC West this year.
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