Aaron Rodgers is staying in Green Bay, Russell Wilson is leaving Seattle and Jimmy Garoppolo is … well, wait for it. And wait. And wait.
What we do know is that Garoppolo (and presumably his surgically repaired shoulder) won’t be traded to the Denver Broncos, the Green Bay Packers or the Seattle Seahawks — a trio of teams that rocked the NFL landscape with quarterback news Tuesday morning.
For the 49ers’ sake, this is welcome news. Two of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks are now off the market, and that helps Garoppolo’s value. His stock presumably fell with last week’s revelation that his right shoulder required repair, but there were no surprises with his surgery on Tuesday, NFL Network’s Mike Garfolo reported.
Plenty of teams still need quarterbacks. The 49ers still need to unload Garoppolo, and they still should fetch a nice price, presumably in the form of a conditional draft pick — whether it’s a Day 1, 2 or 3 pick, it doesn’t really matter as long as his $24 million salary comes off the books.
Before we scout out potential partners, we must first note the impact of the first two dominoes to fall: Rodgers and Wilson.
Rodgers postponed retirement (and perhaps denied Denver) by agreeing to return to Green Bay, which he’s confirmed in a Tweet while disputing initially reported terms of a four-year, $200 million deal. Regardless of the contract cost or length, Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay didn’t end in January with his fourth playoff loss in four meetings against the 49ers.
Wilson’s move to Denver is what makes the 49ers’ day/offseason/year. He is 17-4 all-time against the 49ers, including a 2013 season’s NFC Championship Game win with the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning team, as well as last season’s series sweep amid Seattle’s 7-10 blunders.
Seattle has ammunition to make another deal, perhaps exhuming Deshaun Watson out of Houston, which could be more likely than them culling Garoppolo from their division rival.
The Broncos, meanwhile, will unload Drew Lock on Seattle once that trade can become official March 16 when the league year opens. That’s also when any trade of Garoppolo can be formalized. So, where does Jimmy G go? Let’s explore:
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
With Mason Rudolph under contract, he can serve as a bridge between Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement and Garoppolo’s comeback from shoulder rehabilitation, which is expected to keep him from throwing until July, 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week of his quarterback’s wing. That Steelers’ offense should revolve around Antioch High product Najee Harris, and that won’t put too much on Garoppolo’s arm for 2022. Plus, Garoppolo’s blue-collar mentality oozes a Pittsburgh persona.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Which NFL team is closest to Garoppolo’s alma mater of Eastern Illinois? Yep, the Colts, though that has nothing really to do with them being a possible trade target, other than it would be a midwestern homecoming for the native of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Carson Wentz flamed out in his 2021 Colts cameo, so much so that reports indicate Indianapolis wants a better leader, and Garoppolo became even more of a beloved captain in the 49ers’ locker room for how he juggled the 2021 situation with Trey Lance in the wings.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Coach Ron Rivera deserves a better quarterback, and the newly renamed Commanders reportedly bid on Wilson, too. Rivera has the 49ers’ utmost respect, from ownership on down, and that relationship made the 2020 trade possible of left tackle Trent Williams to the 49ers. Any distrust Kyle Shanahan may have for Washington owner Daniel Snyder likely wouldn’t impede a deal, if it has Garoppolo’s blessing. In place as a bridge until Garoppolo gets healthy: Taylor Heinicke. Garoppolo would be California’s most charismatic export to D.C. since Ronald Reagan.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Garoppolo’s most prolific road win came in the Superdome, in a December 2019 duel with Drew Brees in which Garoppolo passed for four touchdowns and 349 yards. No, that wouldn’t be the norm for him in New Orleans, but it is a fond memory for him. Someone else who probably hasn’t forgotten that effort is Dennis Allen, the Saints’ defensive coordinator at the time and now Sean Peyton’s successor as head coach. Taysom Hill can serve as the bridge QB until Garoppolo is healthy.
HOUSTON TEXANS
Lovie Smith takes over as coach of this bungled franchise. Smith was the Bears coach from 2004-12, the same time Garoppolo rooted for them in their backyard. But the true connection to any longshot move of sentencing Garoppolo to Houston would be his familiarity with general manager Nick Caserio, who was the New England Patriots director of player personnel when they drafted Garoppolo in 2014 with a second-round pick.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Another NFC team? Well, that conference is in greater need for quarterbacks, and the Bucs are scrambling to replace the NFL’s all-time greatest in Tom Brady. Hey, Garoppolo won at Tampa earlier in that 2019 season, too. Blaine Gabbert can be the bridge QB, a role he kinda served in for the 49ers at the end of the Colin Kaepernick era.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
OK, last possible NFC option, right? Nah, we could probably throw in the New York Giants or maybe even Minnesota or Philadelphia. All it takes is one team to make a successful bid. The Panthers could roll out Sam Darnold again until Garoppolo is ready to seize that job.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
New coach Mike McDaniel, formerly the 49ers’ offensive coordinator, can reunite with Garoppolo while still committing to Tua Tagovailoa — until a potential quarterback competition in camp, or until Tagovailoa struggles early in the season. The Dolphins have $50 million in salary cap space, so they’ve got plenty they can spend on a Garoppolo extension, which is obviously something he (and they) could be seeking.
Source: www.mercurynews.com