Jimmy Garoppolo is a free agent in 2023 — is he one of the best? Everyone’s got an opinion about Jimmy Garoppolo, but the reality is — the guy can help your team become better. Can he make your team a “contender” in 2023? I say yes.
Garoppolo has now done this three times under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers. Although Shanahan’s system and the players around Garoppolo have been strong, there’s no doubt that Jimmy G. can excel in executing the basics and especially the short game from the QB position. If you’re asking this guy to lead the league in 40-yard throws, he might not be for you.
But I think he’s proven now three times that he’s a guy who can elevate an offense, even if he does have a hard time staying healthy. Let’s look at five teams that could be contenders in 2023 with Jimmy Garoppolo under center.
5 teams that could go after Jimmy Garoppolo in 2023
1. Tennessee Titans
It’s become abundantly clear, as the Titans prepare to start Joshua Dobbs in a must-win game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, that a new quarterback is needed in Nashville. The Titans have found great success by rolling with Ryan Tannehill, who has become the poster child for reclamation projects, since the 2019 season. They’ve been one of the league’s toughest teams and head coach Mike Vrabel deserves a ton of credit for what he’s been able to do there.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse in 2022 as Tannehill has not played overly well and has missed some time. Malik Willis has been benched for Joshua Dobbs.
You don’t think a player like Jimmy G. could come in and elevate guys like Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo? The Titans need to add some more pieces in the passing game but Garoppolo would help this team.
2. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins had looked like one of the best teams in the NFL all year until just recently. Unfortunately, injuries at the quarterback position have plagued this team and potentially put the career of Tua Tagovailoa in jeopardy.
Hopefully, that’s not the case. We wish the best for Tua, but perhaps the Dolphins would be wise to put together a better contingency plan in 2023 than Teddy Bridgewater. It just so happens that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel knows Jimmy Garoppolo very well from their time together with the 49ers.
If Jimmy Garoppolo would end up with the Dolphins in free agency, he’d be joining a team with two of the most quarterback-proof receivers in the game: Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Tua has been better than this, but even if all he did was point and shoot with Waddle and Hill, it was an effective offense for the Dolphins.
Those two guys are so dynamic after the catch that it would almost be impossible for a quarterback to fail in this scheme. Given the fact that the Dolphins don’t have a first-round pick this year, they’re going to need to upgrade their roster through free agency. Not that they would use a first-round pick on the QB position anyway, but a player like Garoppolo could put minds at ease in Miami if they are able to go into 2023 with both he and Tagovailoa on the roster.
That way, if anything happens with Tua, they can turn to Garoppolo to run an offense that will be familiar to him and with teammates that could elevate him.
3. New York Jets
The New York Jets will probably have their sights set very high at the quarterback position in the 2023 offseason.
Tom Brady? Why not.
Trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft? Why not.
Trade for Derek Carr? Why not.
I think anything is on the table for the Jets but this team doesn’t necessarily need to destroy its available assets to upgrade at quarterback in the 2023 offseason. Just like Jimmy Garoppolo has familiarity with Mike McDaniel in Miami, he’s also got familiarity with Mike LaFleur in New York.
The Jets’ offensive coordinator is yet another branch off the Shanahan coaching tree and was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator from 2017-2020. He and Jimmy Garoppolo have obviously spent a ton of time together and the Jets are in a position right now where they could actually be a great fit for Jimmy G.
If you can sign Garoppolo in free agency, you can use your remaining most valuable assets to upgrade on the offensive line and add depth elsewhere, but this team’s core at the skill spots for 2023 is looking really nice:
- RB: Breece Hall, Michael Carter
- WR: Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis
- WR: Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios
- TE: CJ Uzomah, Tyler Conklin
The pieces are almost all in place. Getting Mekhi Becton back healthy in 2023 along with Alijah Vera-Tucker and a revamped offensive line? This Jets team would almost undoubtedly become a contender with Jimmy Garoppolo as the team’s point guard.
4. Carolina Panthers
Here’s one a little bit outside the box — the Carolina Panthers. We don’t know right now who the Panthers’ head coach will be in 2023. We don’t know what kind of offensive scheme they’re going to run.
This is also a Panthers team that no longer has Christian McCaffrey and they need to revamp the offensive weaponry in 2023.
With that being said, Jimmy Garoppolo could be the ideal quarterback to push along some of the young talent in Carolina. The Panthers have rebuilt their offensive line into something that could work in their favor in 2023. Along with that offensive line, the Panthers have a star receiver in DJ Moore.
There are some intriguing role players right now in Carolina like Laviska Shenault, Shi Smith, Terrace Marshall, and Tommy Tremble. If Carolina can add another couple of receivers into the mix and some help at the running back position?
They could be cooking with peanut oil.
Again, this is a wild card option here because we don’t know who’s going to be coaching Carolina. We’re simply looking at the pieces in place and whether or not Garoppolo could make them better or give them chances to excel at what they do best, just as we’ve seen him do in San Francisco.
But this is an option nonetheless.
5. Washington Commanders
What team out there right now needs steady play from the quarterback position in the worst way? Well, actually, there are plenty of teams that need that in a big way. But the Washington Commanders are up there in terms of teams that could really use someone specifically like Jimmy Garoppolo.
Not that Garoppolo is risk-averse, but he’s going to distribute the ball to the playmakers and get the ball into their hands. Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson — these guys need a competent QB out there to keep the offense flowing.
I’m sure Jimmy Garoppolo would be a tough sell to Commanders fans, but at the same time, if it means someone who can complete a high percentage of passes and get the ball into the star receivers’ hands?
Why not?
It’s tough to say that players like McLaurin and Dotson are being “wasted” with the Commanders right now, but that’s way too good of a duo to be watching the playoffs instead of participating in them. The Commanders need to find a long-term franchise QB, of course, but for the time being, someone like Garoppolo could push this team into the postseason with the pieces the Commanders have around him.
It can’t be overstated that Garoppolo can be had in free agency. Being able to sign him and use your draft assets to upgrade the roster elsewhere is a massive plus.