Getty The Seahawks could still pull off a trade for 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Seattle Seahawks could be the only “logical landing spot” for this veteran quarterback.
As the Seahawks enter the 2022 season with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback, Seattle could potentially look towards a familiar face via trade. As noted by Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Seahawks could look towards San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Although Garoppolo restructured his 2022 salary to just $7 million to remain in San Francisco, Knox explains that the 49ers did this because they couldn’t find a trade partner prior to the start of the season.
“The reality is that the San Francisco likely never planned to keep Garoppolo as the backup and only pivoted after it couldn’t find a trade,” says Knox. “According to Peter King of Pro Football Talk, Garoppolo spent the bulk of the offseason working alone and perhaps without a playbook.”
Knox argues that while the 49ers may be hesitant to trade Garoppolo to a division rival, this is the only logical destination entering Week 1.
“According to former NFL executive Mike Lombardi (h/t Logan Mullen of Audacy), Seattle is interested in Garoppolo,” says Knox. “While San Francisco may be reluctant to deal Jimmy G to a division rival, this is the only logical landing spot entering Week 1.”
49ers Restructure Garoppolo’s Contract to Increase Value
Instead of having a $24.2 million base salary for the 2022 season, Garoppolo has a much more feasible $7 million cap hit. This makes the 30-year-old quarterback much more desirable via trade and also saves the 49ers a lot of money considering Garoppolo’s previous salary would have become guaranteed at the start of the season.
There’s no doubt the Seahawks have an interest in Garoppolo. Prior to the restructuring of his contract, it had been reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Seattle would be interested in Garoppolo if he became a free agent.
“People I’ve talked to around the league still expect that any interested team — whether it’s the Browns, Seattle — they’re waiting for him to be released,” Fowler said on “SportsCenter” back in August, according to Rob Goldberg of Bleacher Report. “They don’t want anything to do with that $26 million that he’s owed this year. And they know the clock is ticking on San Francisco — that money becomes guaranteed Week 1. And so they’re just going to sort of wait this out. There’s a chance that the 49ers can try to get some sort of mid- to late-round pick for him.”
How Jimmy G Can Become Trade Option for Seahawks
Assuming the 49ers are willing to trade Garoppolo to an in-division rival, would the Seahawks be willing to give up draft capital in exchange for a potential stopgap option?
If Smith does falter as the team’s starting quarterback, one assumes Seattle would turn to Drew Lock considering they acquired him in the Russell Wilson trade. Lock was also involved in a quarterback competition with Smith before it was announced that the later would start the season opener at the end of the preseason.
The idea of acquiring Garoppolo via trade seems like an unlikely option — especially if Seattle does prove to be a losing team early on. There would be little point in acquiring a game manager at quarterback to win a few more games, which would then jeopardize the team’s chances at gaining the top pick or one of the top selections in next year’s draft.
However, in the scenario where the Seahawks do prove to be a decent team with one drawback — that drawback being the quarterback — then Seattle suddenly becomes a buyer by the time the trade deadline rolls around on Nov. 1.
For all of Garoppolo’s limitations, he’s one of the few proven winners at quarterback in the NFL. The veteran has a Super Bowl and NFC Championship Game appearance to his name over the past three seasons. Furthermore, he’s 33-14 as a starter (70.2 percent).
The Seahawks aren’t making a move for Garoppolo at the start of the season. But with two months to go before the trade deadline, it could become a possibility — if San Francisco allows it to become one.