Getty Jimmy Garoppolo throws the ball during the NFC title game played on Sunday, January 30.
Will it be easy for the San Francisco 49ers to pull off, arguably, the most highly-anticipated trade during this 2022 NFL offseason period involving quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo?
Outside of the emotional aspect of this trade — dealing away a quarterback who guided the franchise to two NFC Championship game appearances and one conference title — what else would be difficult about shipping away Jimmy G?
As one insider and 49ers beat reporter pointed out on the morning of Thursday, February 24, the financial aspect of this potential deal is worth noting.
ALL the latest 49ers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on 49ers newsletter here!
What the Potential Trade ‘Represents’ for the 49ers Business Wise
David Lombardi of The Athletic gave his brief details of what a Garoppolo trade would look like.
Lombardi didn’t just briefly detailed the business path of what a Jimmy G trade does, but what it does for the rest of the 49ers’ roster. Here’s what he posted on his Twitter:
“A potential Jimmy Garoppolo trade represents the easiest path of doing business for the 49ers as far as sustainable, robust roster construction.
In terms of building a 53-man roster, I currently see only 31 filled spots and $6 million to fill the remaining 22 and pay Deebo (Samuel)/(Nick) Bosa.”
Regarding the last part of Lombardi’s tweet, that’s the area that will likely have the most financial impact for a team that has nine draft picks for April 2022 and 29 free agents for March 16 — which would involve some restructuring or tough decisions on who to resign, even if it’s for a minimum.
What the 49ers are Facing cap Wise
Beginning first with the NFL, back on December 14, 2021 the league revealed what the projected dollar figure for the salary cap would look like league wide:
As expected, the NFL informed clubs the 2022 salary cap is projected to be $208.2 million, per source.
Now to the 49ers, starting with Garoppolo, he holds a base salary of $24.2 million according to overthecap.com. By sending him elsewhere, his next NFL franchise would have to find a way to take on the remaining two years of his five-year, $137.5 million contract he signed with the team back in 2019. His cap hit would be $26,950,000 per Spotrac.
And per Spotrac, here’s who are the next richest 49ers in terms of base salary. These are the ones who are worth more than $10 million as of now and we dive into what their numbers will look like in two years:
- Arik Armstead: $14,150,000 in base salary. Number goes up to $15,890,000 in 2023, then $17,410,00 in 2024. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2025 when he’s 32.
- George Kittle: $11,450,00 base salary. Increases to $11,650,000 in 2023, then $13.4 million in 2024, followed by $14.4 million in 2025 — the final year of his contract.
- Mike McGlinchey: $10,880,000 heading into 2022 (once had base salary of $920,000 during 2021). Becomes unrestricted free agent in 2023.
The rest of the base salaries are different for some notable 49er cornerstones like Jimmie Ward, Trent Williams, even Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk. Every 49er mentioned is under $8.9 million in base salary. And out of all them, it’s not just Ward who holds the $8.9 million in his account, but is also hopeful for a new deal:
Jimmie Ward is in favor of a contract extension, which would free cap space for pending Niner free agents. #49ers
H/T @49erGlobal | IG
To really free up some monetary room, especially when it comes to paying the incoming draft picks and other free agent signings, plus when you also factor in the reports of the 49ers wanting to reward Samuel and Bosa with a richer extension, the 49ers would likely have to do more than just sacrifice Garoppolo via trade. Here’s this other suggestion from Niners Nation reporter Akash Anavarathan that involves Dre Greenlaw:
Less discussed than the Jimmy Garoppolo movement, but I’d expect the #49ers to do something at the linebacker spot too.
A trade of Dre Greenlaw would free up $2.54M in cap space.
Azeez Al-Shaair’s an RFA, so he’s likely not going anywhere next season.
In all likelihood, this will be an offseason of heavy restructuring for the ‘Niners. It could mean Armstead, Kittle and McGlinchey will get their current deals reworked to save some cap room even if Garoppolo goes.