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The offseason began with the Indianapolis Colts connected to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. But a trade never came to fruition.
Instead, the Colts acquired Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2022 third-round pick on March 21.
Once the Falcons were listening to offers for their 14-year veteran quarterback, there were pros and cons to the Colts acquiring either Garoppolo or Ryan. But one con reportedly stood out the most with Garoppolo.
Diana Russini of ESPN reported on March 21 that the Colts were concerned about Garoppolo’s shoulder injury.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s Shoulder Injury
Nick Shook of NFL.com reported that Garoppolo underwent successful shoulder surgery on March 8. The 49ers signal caller hurt his shoulder in the NFC Wild Card round against the Dallas Cowboys.
Garoppolo also dealt with a thumb injury throughout last season, but that ailment does not require surgery. Kevin Patra of NFL.com reported Garoppolo, though, will not throw for 16 weeks following his shoulder surgery.
That means, at the earliest, Garoppolo will not throw again until late June.
There is no fear that the 30-year-old quarterback will not be ready for the regular season, but he isn’t going to participate in offseason workouts before training camp. Plus, there’s always the risk Garoppolo suffers a setback and misses part of training camp too.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s Injury History
Garoppolo doesn’t light up the stat sheet, but his team wins games when he starts. Garoppolo doesn’t have a 4,000-yard passing or 30-touchdown season, but he is 33-14 as a NFL starter.
In two of the last three seasons where he started at least 15 games, the 49ers advanced to at least the NFC Championship.
But the problem is Garoppolo has only played 15 games twice in his eight-year NFL career. In the last four seasons with the 49ers, he has missed 25 games because of injuries.
While Ryan turns 37 in May, he has sat out just three contests because of injuries in his 14-year career. Since the start of the 2010 season, Ryan has started in 206 out of a possible 207 games. The one he missed came in the middle of the 2019 season.
Colts Find Quarterback Alternative in Matt Ryan
Despite the shoulder concern, Garoppolo still appeared to be one of the better options for Indianapolis after the Colts traded Carson Wentz and weren’t contenders for any of the big-named quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson).
But from the Watson fallout, Ryan and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield became available.
With seemingly their choice of the lot, the Colts selected Ryan. The compensation was relatively cheap in part because the Falcons preferred to unload Ryan prior to paying his roster bonus at 4 pm ET.
Turning 37, Ryan offers just a short-term solution, but unlike Garoppolo, and, for that matter, other quarterback trade candidates such as Mayfield, Ryan did not undergo offseason surgery. Ryan will be able to participate in all the offseason workouts.
Ryan recorded 3,968 passing yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 2021.
In addition to the Colts trading for Ryan, the top two picks from the 2015 NFL Draft, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, found new homes on March 21. Mariota signed in Atlanta to replace Ryan while Winston re-signed with the New Orleans Saints.
With three teams filling out the top of their quarterback depth chart to begin the week, Garoppolo’s possible landing spots are dwindling.
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