In analyzing the ideal next step for Jimmy Garoppolo, most NFL fans and media members alike have floated teams that the veteran quarterback could start for right away.
Garoppolo probably would instantly become the starter in Seattle if the Seahawks swung a trade with the division rival 49ers. Jimmy G very likely would see the field in Cleveland if the league hands down a significant suspension to the Browns’ Deshaun Watson.
But how about a landing spot where Garoppolo has no chance of becoming the starter on Day 1? If you ask offensive lineman-turned-analyst Shaun O’Hara, South Beach could serve Garoppolo well.
“If I’m Jimmy G, I’m looking at Miami,” O’Hara said on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”
“If I’m gonna be holding a clipboard somewhere and not play right away, give me somewhere where I can go out to a nice restaurant, I got a nice little nightlife going on. For Jimmy G to go to Miami and be reunited with Mike McDaniel, somebody he knows. I’m saying mid-August over and over again. Not just from a physical standpoint, but from a quarterback standpoint. Imagine getting the playbook in mid-August? Or finding out here’s my team in mid-August? I’ve got to accelerate this process. I’ve got to learn the language, I’ve got to speak it fluently. Now, all of a sudden going out of the 49ers with an offense you’re already familiar with, I’m sure it’s a lot of the same verbiage he had in San Francisco. Like, that could be a great opportunity.
“From a competition standpoint and the playing field standpoint, look, if Tua (Tagovailoa) flops, there still are a lot of people that are trying to figure out who is Tua? If he struggles, we’ve seen him get the yank before, right? (Ryan) Fitzpatrick went in. That could be an opportunity for him to step in and play. Who wouldn’t want to throw to (Jaylen) Waddle and Tyreek Hill? There’s some great offensive weapons there for Jimmy G.”
The Fins probably aren’t very motivated to make a Garoppolo trade. The oft-injured 30-year-old is set to account for a 2022 salary cap hit of nearly $27 million and Miami already rosters a solid backup signal-caller in Teddy Bridgewater.
So while Garoppolo returning to the AFC East is a fun hypothetical, we wouldn’t count on it happening.
