The San Francisco 49ers can do all the posturing they want, and say Jimmy Garoppolo is their quarterback until their blue in the face.
But until it’s Week 1 and he’s under center, nobody is going to believe them.
There long had been chatter about the Niners possibly moving on from Garoppolo this offseason. That gained steam in a big way when San Fran traded up to third overall in the upcoming NFL Draft, in a quarterback-heavy year, no less.
So, if John Lynch decided to trade the 29-year-old Garoppolo, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos the two best options.
“Realistically,” Barnwell wrote, “the Patriots and Broncos stand out as the two most obvious options for a Garoppolo trade, and with the no-trade clause, you can imagine where Garoppolo might prefer to go. …
“The Patriots once seemingly did the 49ers a favor by sending Garoppolo to San Francisco for a second-round pick (in 2017); I wonder if the 49ers will do the same by sending Jimmy G back to New England for a midround selection.”
It’s a fair thing to wonder, no doubt.
The Garoppolo-Patriots reunion storyline is all the rage right now, and it was even prior to Friday’s fireworks. Don’t expect that to go away, especially if the 49ers end up taking a quarterback in the first round next month.
