Jimmy Garoppolo likely will be one of the belles of the ball in the upcoming NFL offseason.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport over the weekend reported the San Francisco 49ers are planning to move forward with Trey Lance as their starting quarterback and in turn part ways with Garoppolo. While Jimmy G has his limitations, he's proven to be a more-than-capable signal-caller when healthy.
Given a Garoppolo trade feels much more like a "when" than an "if," the next question is where will the 30-year-old wind up? NFL quarterback-turned-analyst David Carr on Tuesday compiled a list of three teams that should be in the Garoppolo market this offseason, and it included a longtime New England Patriots rival: the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"The writing is on the wall for Ben Roethlisberger: This season should be his last," Carr wrote for NFL.com. "Meanwhile, Mason Rudolph is set to hit the open market 2022, while Dwayne Haskins is in line for restricted free agency. The Steelers have a good overall roster and should be better than they are, given their improved ground game, talented pass catchers and strong defense. They just need new blood at the game's most important position. Pittsburgh feels a lot like it did when Roethlisberger was drafted, where the Steelers were a quarterback away from being a contender.
"Ironically, they are in that same position at the end of Big Ben's career. The Steelers have good offensive components -- Najee Harris, Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth -- but need a quarterback with confidence who can provide consistency at the position. Garoppolo can move better than people give him credit for; he'd give the Steelers' offense an element it hasn't had in years. Whether Pittsburgh makes a play for Jimmy or not, I don't believe its starting quarterback for 2022 is currently on the roster."
At this stage in all of their respective careers, Garoppolo would be an upgrade over any quarterback on the Steelers' roster. That said, Pittsburgh QBs long have been known for their toughness, and durability arguably is Garoppolo's biggest red flag. The Rooney family very well might not view Garoppolo as an ideal fit for the organization.
Regardless, the Steelers need to make QB a priority this offseason, as Carr suggested.
