GETTY Denver Broncos corner Ronald Darby makes a play.
The San Francisco 49ers still have business to take care of this season, but the fate of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is on everybody’s minds.
When the Niners selected Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, it became clear that Jimmy G’s future in Santa Clara, California was going to come to an end at some point soon.
With Lance starting in Garoppolo’s place due to a UCL thumb injury in the Week 17 win over the Houston Texans, there’s just another reminder that the 49ers will have to deal Garoppolo this upcoming offseason. He’s got a gargantuan payday due for 2022 and will cause a cap hit of $27 million per Spotrac.
This is where the Denver Broncos come in. They’re a team in need of a quarterback, but clearly aren’t far away as a team at 7-9. Garoppolo could get a fresh start in the final year of a huge contract, and the 49ers could get a new starter in their underperforming secondary in the form of Ronald Darby.
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Garoppolo in Denver, Darby in San Francisco
Like the 49ers, the Broncos’ quarterback situation is uncertain. Teddy Bridgewater has been the primary starter in Denver this year, although he’s not exactly impressing with 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions and 3052 yards in 14 starts per PFR. However, the quarterback only signed a one-year contract, and could be elsewhere next season.
That leaves Drew Lock as the other primary quarterback, and the 2nd round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has also been lackluster with 4578 yards, 25 touchdowns and 20 picks in 23 career games.
Garoppolo has bested Bridgewater in yards and touchdowns in the same amount of starts this season. It’s also worth noting that the Denver offense shares a distinct similarity with San Francisco’s, in that the team focuses on its running backs like Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams with the passing offense working off of it. Under head coach Kyle Shanahan, that has been the norm for Jimmy G and the 49ers.
Meanwhile, Darby has played an integral role for a Broncos defense that has impressed this year. Darby does not have any interceptions, but his catch rate and opposing passer rating is where he stands out. Per PFR, he has allowed a 54.3 percent completion rate, and just a 84.8 rating. Not flashy, but consistent.
Darby has been battling some injury issues, starting and playing in just 11 games this season. He has also been a consistent starter with every team he’s been with, which includes the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Football Team.
The Financial Details
To address the basics, the Broncos are expected to have over $48.5 million in cap space in 2022, per Spotrac. Enough space to take Garoppolo’s contract if they wanted it, but they’ll also be sending Darby the other way to create space.
Spotrac says Darby is due $13 million in 2022, which would mean flipping the two would only be a $14 million difference for Denver. Meanwhile, the 49ers would open up $14 million in cap space.
The major hangup the Broncos could run into would be the fact that Darby’s fellow corners Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan are free agents this year, per Over the Cap. If the Broncos don’t plan on resigning either player and want to make sure they have a starting CB opposite of Patrick Surtain II, they may not view Darby as someone they can give up for a QB.