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While the San Francisco 49ers deal with reports of Deebo Samuel submitting a trade request, another potential trade piece in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is speaking out.
Garoppolo’s situation doesn’t parallel Deebo’s much at all. The 30-year-old quarterback isn’t looking for a trade out of San Francisco like Samuel is, and instead is a casualty of the 49ers moving forward with 2021 NFL draft first-round pick QB Trey Lance.
On April 21, Garoppolo went on Sirius XM program Mad Dog Radio, where he was asked by Adam Schein about Deebo’s situation, per NBC Sports.
“I don’t really like to get into other guy’s contracts, but just speaking on Deebo and who he is as a player, as a person,” Garoppolo said. “I mean, the dude is unreal. And one way or another, he’s gonna get his money that he deserves and he earned… The dude — he’s changed so much as a player. He’s grown as a person, just leading guys on the field. Taking these young receivers under his wing. It’s things like that that you can’t — I mean, how do you quantify that? You know, it’s tough. But it’s all those little things. And, I don’t know, whenever someone’s a good person like that, does the right thing, and I think things will work out for him, one way or another.”
It’s kind words from Jimmy G, and ones that certainly ring true: Samuel can expect a huge paycheck for his second NFL contract, he just doesn’t necessarily want the 49ers to be the one cutting the paper.
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49ers in Strong Position with Deebo
Samuel may want out of San Francisco, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to get it. Besides being a vital cog in the 49ers offense, he is also on a rookie deal, which limits his options considerably.
The Athletic reporter Connor Hughes reported on April 20 that San Francisco has “zero interest” in listening to trade offers. This is primarily due to the fact that the team can expect Samuel to play in 2022.
Spotrac co-founder Michael Ginnitti explained that Samuel’s rookie deal dictates that he will be a restricted free agent in 2023 rather than unrestricted if he decides to hold out. That would mean San Francisco would have control over him for 2023 as well.
“If the #49ers do not honor Deebo Samuel’s trade request this offseason, they’ll hold some leverage with him come training camp per the CBA,” Ginnitti Tweeted on April 20. “Not reporting to mandatory camp means a loss of an accrued season, meaning Samuel would be facing restricted free agency after 2022.”
Garoppolo Offers Update on Surgery Recovery
One of the things holding up a trade for Jimmy G is that the 49ers QB got shoulder surgery earlier this offseason. Whether that’s playing a factor in trade talks or the lack there of isn’t confirmed, but teams don’t often trade for an unhealthy player.
The good news is that Garoppolo is recovering and its going well. The 30-year-old revealed details on his recovery process and where he’s at currently.
“I’m not where I want to be yet, obviously the shoulder surgery went well, rehab’s been going great, but it’s a process,” Garoppolo said. “And I knew going into the surgery what it was going to take to get the shoulder back right, but we’ll be throwing here soon, gotta keep going in the right direction. It’s a long offseason, it’s already been crazy with all the trades, guys going to different teams, whatever it is… I don’t know, it’s just one of those things where I’m just going to let the chips fall where they may and work my ass off like I always do, when you do that, good things will happen for you.”
If the 49ers truly do want to trade Garoppolo this offseason, they’ll hope that his recovery continues quickly. With the draft just around the corner, a post-draft trade could be in order for San Francisco.