Getty Jimmy Garoppolo spikes the ball in the end zone during the 49ers' road win over the Bears on October 31, 2021.
As we trek toward Memorial Day 2022, Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers remains linked together.
But for how much longer?
In the past week, there are analysts like Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report who revealed his “realistic trade packages” for Garoppolo — including one scenario mentioned in this Heavy on 49ers story that puts Garoppolo in the same building with a former first round pick at quarterback.
Now, on the morning of Monday, May 23, NFL insider and columnist for Sports Illustrated Albert Breer mentioned the latest scenario: One that involves both the 49ers and Garoppolo becoming “flexible” toward one another in his latest report.
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Both Sides are Willing to be ‘Flexible’
Breer dove into the burning topic of quarterbacks who could still be on the move…and Garoppolo’s name continues to be mentioned.
However, this time Breer reports that both the 49ers and Garoppolo’s camp have become “flexible toward the best situation.” Here’s what Breer wrote:
“The 49ers are in this picture, too — and while they’ve played patiently throughout on Jimmy Garoppolo, I don’t believe the plan right now is to keep him. San Francisco, for what it’s worth, has had an open line of communication with Garoppolo’s camp the last few months, and both sides are willing to be flexible to find the best situation for the 30-year-old who’s led the ‘Niners to two NFC title games over the last three years. And that means, if a team’s out there wanting to renegotiate the final year of his contract, which has $24.8 million on it (and is not guaranteed), as part of a trade, the opportunity’s there to do it, and other teams know it.”
Breer then brought up that once Garoppolo is cleared to throw, there’s this growing potential toward July: Latecomers.
“The hope here, of course, is that where the Niners’ deliberate slow play in March didn’t really work out, after the quarterback’s delayed decision to have rotator cuff surgery (they hoped resolution of the Watson, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers situations would open up a market for Garoppolo); a similar tact could work here with Garoppolo’s shoulder on the mend (presumably, he could throw for a team in early July to show his progress), and there’s potential for latecomers to the quarterback trade table. We’ll see if it works out.”
One More Analyst Shared What’s Become ‘Increasingly Likely’ for Garoppolo
Breer writes how the 49ers and Jimmy G are being open to any scenario.
Meanwhile, Tyler Conway of B/R shared a different vision involving both parties on Monday. Conway is a believer that the Carolina Panthers are yet to be ruled out of potentially adding Garoppolo.
“Should the Panthers trade for Garoppolo, they would be paying a combined $43.1 million in base salary for the combo of (Sam) Darnold and Garoppolo — not exactly the best use of resources in NFL history. The combined cap hits for those two below-average starting quarterbacks would be higher than any single signal-caller this season,” Conway wrote.
Then, Conway added where Garoppolo possibly becomes the highest paid player in his position.
“It’s possible Garoppolo would sign an extension that lowers his cap hit as part of a trade, and the 49ers are reportedly willing to allow teams to negotiate with him ahead of any deal. That said, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Garoppolo returns to San Francisco in 2022 as the NFL’s highest-paid backup,” Conway said.