Jimmy Garoppolo trade: 49ers give QB permission to seek a deal

It was always widely expected that Garoppolo would be with a new team in 2022 after the Niners drafted Trey Lance as his successor in 2021. The chance of a move happening swiftly was scuppered when Garoppolo was forced to undergo offseason shoulder surgery.

Now the 30-year-old has been cleared to practise again, and San Francisco, which opens its season on September 11 at the Chicago Bears, has given his agents permission to seek a trade.

Jimmy Garoppolo trade destinations

The next question of course is who would want Garoppolo right now? A valid question after a wild offseason which has seen some of the biggest QB moves in NFL history:

• Aaron Rodgers stayed put in Green Bay, signing the richest contract ever at more than $50million APY.
• The Denver Broncos shelled out a fortune in draft capital to acquire Russell Wilson in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks.
• The Cleveland Browns gave Houston three first-round picks and more to acquire Deshaun Watson.
• Long-time Atlanta Falcons standout Matt Ryan was traded to Indianapolis for a third-round pick.
• The Colts traded Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for draft picks.
• With Watson now in the house, Cleveland traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round pick.

The most likely trade destination for Garoppolo would appear to be the Seattle Seahawks, who are currently betting on Drew Lock and Geno Smith after the decision to trade Wilson.

The sticking point is they could not currently afford Garoppolo’s $25million salary for 2022.

An intriguing option is those Cleveland Browns, who have cap space despite handing Watson a $230million contract over five years which is fully guaranteed.

If Deshaun receives a lengthy suspension for those swirling sexual misconduct allegations, does Jimmy G become a necessity in 2022?

49ers all in on Trey Lance

Garoppolo polarises opinion for many fans - he is seen as limited from a skillset perspective but also a good leader who manages games well and ultimately wins.

He threw for 3810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2021 as the Niners reached the NFC Championship Game. He failed to convert a winning position though vs the Rams.

Right now San Francisco is all in on Lance - it has to be after investing significantly to go up and draft him in 2021. Now is the time to find out if he is the real deal.

There is one other scenario regarding Garoppolo - that San Francisco releases him at some stage to free up around $25million of cap space. That would have to be timed right, and he’d need to be fully cleared from a health perspective.

Finally, the 49ers could wait until deeper into the season to make the move - by early October they would have a better idea of Lance’s progression, and there will likely be QB-needy teams in the market.