The NFL quarterback situation could result in an offseason carousel, including the expected trade of 49ers signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo.
Longtime NFL insider Peter King joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” Monday to break down the Super Bowl and the league-wide situation under center. You can listen to the full interview below (QB talk starts around 19:37):
Teams can’t start officially trading players and signing free agents until 1 p.m. PT on March 16 and the NFL Draft will be held on April 28 in Las Vegas. Within that six-week period, the entire landscape of the league is expected to change. King said it all starts with Green Bay Packers quarterback Rodgers – who remains the subject of heavy trade rumors after winning his fourth career MVP in 2021.
“He has to be the first domino to fall,” King told hosts Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. “Then there will be some parrying and phone calls to [Seahawks general manager] John Schneider in Seattle, I’m sure, about Russell Wilson. I think he’s going to hold the line and say, ‘I’m not trading him.’ I’m assuming that Russell Wilson is not going to be traded.”
King said that Rodgers and Wilson’s decisions would impact Garoppolo’s trade value. If the two former MVPs and Super Bowl champs are available, other teams might be keen to copy the Los Angeles Rams and go all-in for a title shot. That would also diminish the pool of potential first-rounders or desirable draft picks around the league.
“If, for the sake of arguments, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson stay put, that is great news for the 49ers,” King said. “That would mean, in my opinion, the floor of a trade would be then a first-round pick. Maybe the sweet spot, as you called it, would be to [the] Pittsburgh [Steelers] at 20. Or maybe even to [the] Washington [Commanders].”
An anonymous NFL exec recently said the Commanders could “justify” sending their No. 11 pick to the 49ers for Garoppolo and King expects Washington to be aggressive.
“I had a good talk last week with [Commanders head coach] Ron Rivera at the Super Bowl and they are going to do something at quarterback,” King said. “They don’t know yet what it is, but they’re going to do something at quarterback.”
King also added that “Carolina is going to do something at quarterback,” so keep an eye on the Panthers, who owe Sam Darnold $18.8 million next season but want to upgrade.
Another key person in this situation is Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
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“There’s two things that are very good news for the 49ers,” King said. “One: if Wilson and Rodgers stay. Two: if the Deshaun Watson case continues to be up in the air. Nobody’s going to want to trade for Deshaun Watson not knowing when he’s going to be able to play. Those things are all in the 49ers’ favor. Clearly, if the two big names and Watson doesn’t have an end game for his lawsuits, it appears to me the 49ers will be the beneficiaries of that and will be able to get a nice draft choice before the draft for Garoppolo.”
King also discussed Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s potential trade value, as he has been embroiled in offseason drama the past couple of weeks.
“Kyler Murray had a pretty lousy last half of the season,” King said. “What’s he worth? I don’t even know. He’s probably somewhere between 5 and 15, for a draft choice. If I had the sixth or seventh pick and I had a big quarterback need, I don’t know that I would risk it all on Kyler Murray. Somebody might. Somebody might really like him.”
The 49ers are players in the quarterback market, but they’re sellers. They already bought into Trey Lance last year during the draft and are ready to set sail in 2022 with the youngster, who turns 22 on May 9. King said developing Lance should remain the team’s top priority.
“Trey Lance has to hit the ground running in Week 1 in September,” King said. “He needs to have a great offseason – not a good offseason – but a great offseason.”
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