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The San Francisco 49ers are completely focused on their Divisional Round game against the Green Bay Packers, but the offseason is right around the corner.
Whether the 49ers win the Super Bowl or face defeat in Green Bay on Saturday, the team will have to figure out what to do with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Since drafting Trey Lance with the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, the expectation for the 49ers seems to be trading Garoppolo and moving forward with Lance.
Jason Smith, host of the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio, dropped a bold prediction on Twitter that sees Jimmy G going to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Steelers QB next season will be: Jimmy Garoppolo,” Smith said. “Regardless of how post-season goes, 49ers HAVE to go to Trey Lance next season. Jimmy is limited but he’s better than Roethlisberger & I’d be aggressive right way if I were Pitt. Maybe a 1st and a 3rd would get it done early.”
It’d be a sensational deal for the Niners, who would be rid of a $26.9 million cap hit, per Spotrac. A first and a third would completely set up the 49ers to add more depth across the board, especially since they traded their 2022 first-round pick to move up and take Trey Lance.
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49ers Universe Responds
Part of the reason the deal would be so sensational is that it’s hard to imagine Garoppolo going for that price tag. That’s where 49ers Webzone writer Rohan Chakravarthi takes issue with the prediction.
@ericspiegel66 echoed the same sentiment that Jimmy G simply won’t move for the price Smith suggested.
“Way too much for Jimmy G. He’s worth a 3rd and a 6th.”
Some users don’t even think Garoppolo leaves, such as @theSRInscriber.
“#49ers shouldn’t even consider trading Garoppolo, Lance can sit for another half of the season or full season before getting his shot.”
Smith addressed Chakravarthi’s response, saying that his logic is due to the lack of a deep quarterback market and the Steelers feeling the need to get a solid quarterback to keep the team’s current window alive.
Smith is likely correct about the current QB situation in the NFL. After five QBs were taken in the first round last year, there’s hardly the same level of talent this year. Several users responding to Smith brought up Packers QB Aaron Rodgers as a potential, but it remains to be seen if he’s actually going to leave Green Bay or not.
Richard Sherman Weighs In on Garoppolo
Besides Smith’s prediction generating some buzz, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman also spoke on the situation on his Pro Football Focus podcast.
The 2019 Pro Bowler says the Niners need to roll with Garoppolo another year and let Lance sit and develop, like the quarterback San Francisco is facing this Saturday in Wisconsin.
“I definitely do, I think [Garoppolo] should be the starter again [next year],” Sherman said. “People forget that Aaron [Rodgers] didn’t start his first year, didn’t start his second year. They’re so ready to rush [Trey Lance] in there and they’re rushing him in there with expectations. That’s the hardest thing to do.”
It’s a fair point by Sherman, and it will be interesting to see if the Niners’ commitment to moving on is tested by the playoff run and what they’ve seen from Lance.
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