Jimmy Garoppolo very well could join a fierce 49ers rival if (or when) San Francisco releases the veteran quarterback.
That possibility is something John Lynch and company apparently are keeping in mind as they manage what figure to be Jimmy G's final weeks in the Bay Area.
During a recent episode of "The GM Shuffle" podcast, former NFL executive Mike Lombardi revealed a potential suitor for Garoppolo while explaining why the 30-year-old signal-caller still is on the Niners' roster as September nears.
"I keep asking teams all the time, why don't they just cut Jimmy G now? And the answer that I got back from multiple teams is, 'They don't want him to go to Seattle,'" Lombardi said, as transcribed by Audacy. "I said, 'Well how interested is Seattle in Jimmy G?' And (one source) said, 'Oh, they're very interested in him.'
"So for all the talk about Geno (Smith), for all the talk about Drew Lock, I think Seattle knows they're going to get Jimmy G. And I think San Francisco knows that he could go there. So they're trying everything in their power to prevent that, and they have no takers."
Lombardi also explained how he sees Garoppolo's San Francisco exit playing out.
"So what I think will happen is the Friday before the opening weekend, I think they'll cut Jimmy G," Lombardi said. "I think that’s when they'll cut him, and then he'll have to go do his contract and go up to Seattle and go there.
"But there is no interest in allowing Seattle to have even a week of preparation with Jimmy G to come in as their starting quarterback. But I do believe, reliably reported to me, that Seattle is the team that wants him."
At this point, the Seahawks really are the only team that makes sense for Garoppolo. Deshaun Watson's 11-game suspension took a toll on Cleveland's quarterback prowess, but the Browns appear to be comfortable with moving forward with Jacoby Brissett.
