Getty Jimmy Garoppolo being sacked by Bruce Irvin for the San Francisco 49ers.
Had Jimmy Garoppolo opted against going under the knife for an offseason shoulder surgery, the veteran quarterback may very well no longer be a member of the San Francisco 49ers. All parties involved believed that a conscious decoupling was in everyone’s best interest, especially with Trey Lance locked in as the Niners’ new offensive focal point, but in the end, the two sides couldn’t find a deal that worked for everyone, and thus, his contract was reworked on the way to a return.
One of those teams who were interested in Garoppolo was apparently the Carolina Panthers, as the quarterback himself detailed in a recent media availability session.
“I think we were advancing (in talks) with a couple different teams,” Garoppolo said. “Nothing obviously came to fruition. (The Panthers) were top of the list, I would say, one of the top couple. (But) I’m glad things worked out. I’m here, so I’m focused on this stuff now.”
Considering Garoppolo’s camp was allowed to seek a trade, his assertion that the Panthers were at the “top of the list” holds a ton of weight.
Matt Rhule Hints That a 49ers Trade Wasn’t Close
With the topic of Garoppolo and the Panthers trending on social media, Joe Person, the Carolina beat writer for The Athletic, asked the team’s head coach, Matt Rhule, about how far a potential trade with the 49ers got before they instead traded for Baker Mayfield.
“Matt Rhule says he’s not going to talk about a guy another guy when asked about Panthers’ potential interest in Jimmy Garoppolo during the offseason,” Person wrote. “I’m told talks never got very far because of the money, draft capital it would have taken and Jimmy G’s injury situation.”
Considering the Panther were able to agree to a trade with the Cleveland browns that acquired Baker Mayfield for a 2024 conditional fifth round pick at a cap hit of $4.858, it’s clear the team secured the deal that best fit their price range, even if the move hasn’t exactly paid dividends in Charlotte just yet.
Some Are Already Questioning the Trey Lance Trade
Did the 49ers really need to trade for Lance when they already had Garoppolo? Would that capital have been better used on filling out the roster with premier talent or procuring a veteran quarterback more ready-made for Shanahan’s offense like, say, Kirk Cousins, who has long been linked to his former Washington offensive coordinator? Mike Sando of The Atletic asked two NFL execs that very question.
“If Jimmy did not get you where you want to be, then where do you want to be?” an NFC exec told Sando. “Because I can tell you this: 29 or 30 other teams aren’t where you were. Who is adding one player that takes multiple years to get the answer on, to a Super Bowl-caliber team that you built, to get you to win the Super Bowl? How does that work?”
While hindsight may be 20:20, it’s clear John Lynch’s decision to surrender three first-round picks and a third-round pick for Lance will be discussed for years to come.