For some time now, a Jimmy Garoppolo trade has been talked about with a tone heavily leaning toward "when" rather than "if."
Well, a Jimmy G deal might not end up happening after all.
No, we're not saying the 49ers are going to change course and move forward with Garoppolo instead of 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance. Rather, San Francisco might not be able to find a trade for the veteran quarterback this offseason.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio broke down Garoppolo's complicated situation in a column published Saturday night.
From Florio:
The problem arises from the full set of circumstances surrounding his situation. The biggest problem, as one league source explained it on Saturday, is the shoulder surgery Garoppolo underwent earlier this month. No one will trade for a quarterback with a $25 million compensation package after he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his throwing shoulder, the source explained.
Throw in the fact that Garoppolo had the surgery without consulting with the 49ers, and it makes every team that otherwise would be interested in Garoppolo very leery.
Unless Garoppolo is willing to do a new contract as part of a trade (and why would he be?), a trade isn't happened. The most likely result, the source predicted, is that the 49ers will have to cut him.
There's a non-zero chance Garoppolo currently would be calling Indianapolis home had he been fully healthy and not undergone surgery this offseason. The 30-year-old was viewed as a candidate to replace Carson Wentz, but his unknown status for the preseason and offseason workouts reportedly motivated the Colts to go all-in on Matt Ryan.
Garoppolo might not be the only veteran signal-caller with high upside who's released in the coming months. The Cleveland Browns eventually could feel forced to make the same call on Baker Mayfield.
