The San Francisco 49ers will likely be moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022 in favor of Trey Lance. If that happens, these 5 teams could try and make a trade.
This season isn’t over yet for the San Francisco 49ers who are set to play the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round. However, whenever they do end up having this season come to an end, the same will likely happen for Jimmy Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco.
Garoppolo, who was traded to the 49ers in 2017 has done nothing but win with them as he has a record of 31-14 with a Super Bowl appearance. The problem is, he has struggled with health and this was a factor in general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan taking Trey Lance third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
While Jimmy G played well in 2021, Lance also showed his promise when given a chance and will probably be the starter next season. If so, Garoppolo will be on the move and these five destinations make the most sense.
Jimmy Garoppolo destination No. 5: Carolina Panthers
Head coach Matt Rhule is about to enter a very important season with the Carolina Panthers. He has a record of just 10-23 in two seasons and could be in major trouble if the Panthers don’t show some improvement.
This year was especially frustrating as they started out 3-0, with Sam Darnold looking to be the answer under center. Then, things went south and they were 2-12 from that point on — and it became clear Darnold was still the same player with who the Jets had far too many issues.
Now, Rhule could look to make his third quarterback change in as many years, and it would stand to reason that this one could be the right move — that is, if Jimmy G can stay healthy.
Jimmy Garoppolo destination No. 4: Washington Football Team
Another team that had issues under center is the Washington Football Team. They have some ties to the aforementioned Panthers as Matt Rhule’s predecessor, Ron Rivera, is their head coach. He’s also tried to bring in some of his former quarterbacks from Carolina in Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.
Heinicke played well at times with 3,419 yards and a 20-to-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio but he was just 7-8 as the starter. No, he’s not the worst quarterback there is and could help a team stay treading water, but he’s still not a long-term solution.
That’s why it could make sense for the Football Team to go after Jimmy Garoppolo, and Heinicke’s presence could help them feel comfortable making the move. Garoppolo would be a more proven winner and Washington has a solid team. That’s how they won the NFC East in 2020 (although they did so at 7-9) and then took it to the Tampa Bay Bucs in the playoffs. They also stayed alive in the East this season much longer than expected.
Adding a quarterback who wins as much as Garoppolo does could put them back in the divisional race. And the fact that they can still compete with Heinicke means they have a fallback plan if Jimmy G does suffer another injury.
Jimmy Garoppolo destination No. 3: Cleveland Browns
By now, we have all seen the reports that the Cleveland Browns are sticking with Baker Mayfield as their quarterback in 2022. We all also know that teams never make a change after making such a proclamation, right?
Well, there was the time that the Arizona Cardinals swore Josh Rosen was the guy right before taking Kyler Murray first overall. And the Dallas Cowboys said Tony Romo would get his job back from Dak Prescott when he was healthy, but then when he was healthy, they changed their tune.
It’s the way it goes in the NFL. The starting quarterback is the starter — until he’s not. Cleveland gains absolutely nothing now by saying they will move on from Mayfield. Doing so would kill any trade value he might have — if they were to be considering that. It would also be detrimental to their relationship if they went to the drawing board and found no good alternatives.
That’s why general manager Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski made their claim that Baker is the guy. They’re also going to do their job and look at every option, which would include the idea of adding Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mayfield might have the swagger that this fanbase loves but there were a ton of issues with the team last season and making a change to a quarterback with a much better track record could be on the table for a franchise that has a very talented roster — and wants to win now.
Jimmy Garoppolo destination No. 2: New Orleans Saints
There’s a good chance the New Orleans Saints continue to roll with Jameis Winston who was starting to turn things around with them. Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 out of Florida State, had a record of 5-2 with the Saints and had a 14-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio (although his completion percentage was just 59 percent which isn’t ideal) before being lost for the season in Week 8.
The Saints went in the wrong direction without him but even so, their actions don’t exude confidence in Winston. While he was under contract, they added Trevor Siemian who has a lot of experience, and draft Ian Book. They also gave Taysom Hill another comically inflated contract as Sean Payton will not admit what all the rest of us see — Hill is not a quarterback.
Having said that, he clearly isn’t sold on Winston if he’s working out deals to pay Hill more — and yes, they use Hill as a gadget player but no other gadget player in league history gets money like that.
Winston may have appeared to have turned a corner but he’s still the guy who threw 30 picks in his last full season as a starter and is 33-44 overall. For that reason, Payton and the Saints could be dark horse contenders for Garoppolo’s services.
Jimmy Garoppolo destination No. 1: Pittsburgh Steelers
It looks like it’s the end of the line for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Well, maybe.
The first-round pick — and last quarterback standing — from the historic 2004 NFL Draft, Big Ben has made it seem as though this is his final season in the NFL. And that season nearly came to an end, had the Las Vegas Raiders not hit a field goal as time expired in overtime.
That non-tie from Vegas opened the door for the Steelers to make the postseason and that means they will face off with the Kansas City Chiefs. It feels as though this should be a win for the Chiefs but we have seen crazier things happen.
Having said all that, the run will end eventually for Pittsburgh. And when it does, they will be turning the page on the Roethlisberger era. They do have some in-house candidates in Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins but neither one gives off the vibe that they can be franchise quarterbacks.
While there’s a debate as to whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo falls in that category, it’s not debatable that he would be able to win with this roster. Pittsburgh has a solid defense, a great running game led by Najee Harris, and good weapons at wideout and tight end. That’s all without even mentioning the fact that Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the business.
Adding a savvy veteran under center would all but guarantee they would be back in the mix in a talented AFC North in 2022 and beyond.