Getty Jimmy Garoppolo signals to the offense during the 49ers' Week 2 win over the Eagles on September 19, 2021.
Once fans of the San Francisco 49ers take a look at the depth chart for training camp on Tuesday, July 26, they’re bound to see No. 10 getting occupied once again by Jimmy Garoppolo.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport not only revealed how Garoppolo will soon be cleared to participate in camp by mid-August following fully healing from his shoulder surgery, but Rapoport said “Perhaps then we’ll know his destination.”
From @NFLTotalAccess: #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo recently saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a checkup and is progressing well. SF is thrilled with where he is physically, sources say. The expectation is he’ll be fully cleared around mid-August. Perhaps then we’ll know his destination.
What it all means: Garoppolo is sticking around the 49ers much longer which will include when the team reports back to the SAP Performance Center in Santa Clara to start camp. The Athletic’s David Lombardi added “This means Garoppolo will be on the 49ers for at least a large portion of training camp” and asked this burning question: “Will SF have him report?”
But there’s one more element included in Garoppolo staying, which Lombardi mentioned comes with a $7.5 million dilemma of a price tag.
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The ‘Penalty’
There are 49er fans and NFL fans out there who believe the 49ers are better off releasing Garoppolo right away. Such a move will finally clear up some cap space — nearly $18 million in space that is.
However, Lombardi said the 49ers would be given a penalty should they make such a move right now.
“No, the 49ers can’t just release Jimmy Garoppolo right now — they’d incur an unnecessary $7.5 million injury guarantee penalty by doing so before he passes a physical,” Lombardi posted. “So the long holding pattern continues. Let’s see if we have a #10 training camp sighting.”
Such a penalty if the 49ers were to decide to part ways with Garoppolo this week would also put the contract negotiation talks between Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel (his trainer said on Tuesday that Samuel is about to get paid) in a steeper bind.
If anything, this finally answers why the 49ers chose not to release Garoppolo just yet. Garoppolo is yet to be cleared to throw following his shoulder surgery in March.
Possible Target Date & Cleveland Possibility
August 16, 2022, now becomes a key week to monitor for 49er fans and followers of the NFL.
The reason — that’s the official date of when teams can start downsizing their rosters, going from 90 to carrying 85.
With Rapoport giving away the mid-August timeframe, that August date could become the pivotal day of when the NFL world will know if Garoppolo finally parts ways with the franchise he’s suited up for since 2017. The next two roster deadline dates are:
August 23: Teams go from 85 to 80 active players.
August 30: Teams must finalize their active 53-man roster for the upcoming season.
Following the Cleveland Browns’ trade on July 6 that sent their former first overall pick in 2018 Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers, many pundits and fans began eyeballing Cleveland as Jimmy G’s next top suitor. However, Lombardi is shooting down the idea of Garoppolo heading over to the AFC North team based off of Rapoport’s report.
“If Rapoport’s mid-August timeline holds (no movement until then), it’s harder to see Cleveland as a potential landing spot,” Lombardi tweeted. “Because we’re expecting a Deshaun Watson ruling before training camp, which is late July, so that’d leave a 2-3 week gap.”
In tracing back to the aforementioned August dates, here’s what Lombardi mentioned was the “soft deadline” for both the 49ers and the 30-year-old Garoppolo.
49ers are banking on in-camp and in-preseason changes to the QB landscape to see if an opening for Jimmy Garoppolo materializes. Soft deadline remains same: Aug. 30. They don’t owe him money until if/when he makes the 53-man roster. No cost to waiting the situation out until then
But again, the 49ers are bound to hang on to the man they once gave a $137.5 million contract to a little longer.