There’s been no indication the San Francisco 49ers are shopping Jimmy Garoppolo as the start of the new NFL year nears.
But should the Niners ultimately look to trade Garoppolo, the quarterback reportedly would be willing to do his part in cutting ties.
Garoppolo might not have a future in the Bay Area. The 49ers are able to get out of Jimmy G’s contract this offseason without serious financial repercussions, and considering his inconsistency, the franchise could seek an upgrade under center. But if the Niners ultimately lean toward moving on from Garoppolo, they’d surely rather try to flip him for assets than outright release him.
A possible snag could be the no-trade clause in Garoppolo’s contract. But according to NBC Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Garoppolo would not be opposed to waiving it.
“Yes, Jimmy Garoppolo has a no-trade clause,” Maioicco tweeted Sunday. “He is also due $25.5 million in salary and bonuses. I believe he’ll be the #49ers starter this season. BUT…if there were a trade possibility, he would almost certainly waive the clause. Otherwise, he would not get that kind of money.”
One has to imagine the 49ers only would try to trade Garoppolo this offseason if they were confident that a significant upgrade was realistic. Judging from the latest report on the ongoing Deshaun Watson saga, San Francisco might not have the opportunity to trade for the Houston Texans quarterback. And if you look at all of the other signal-callers who might enter the QB carousel this spring, none are far and away better than Garoppolo.
That said, Garoppolo likely would have a number of suitors if the 49ers made him available. A sensible landing spot would be New England, as the Patriots currently rank among the most quarterback-needy teams in the league and Garoppolo is quite familiar with the organization.
