Getty The Seahawks are still "interested" in 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
It looks like the Seattle Seahawks are still “interested” in the idea of adding another quarterback.
According an August 21 report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Seahawks remain intrigued by the idea of acquiring San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the interest is there only if the 49ers release him, and the idea of trading for Garoppolo is not on the table, Fowler said.
“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,” 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.”
Pete Carroll Shuts Down Idea for QB Trade
The 30-year-old quarterback has been linked to the Seahawks during the offseason. However, Seattle has been content to ride the quarterback competition between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Head coach Pete Carroll previously shut down the idea of the Seahawks making a trade for a quarterback back in May when ex-Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was available.
“I’m not saying anything you didn’t think I was going to say, but fortunately that’s always been the way we’ve operated, and it fits again,” Carroll said in May, via Sports Radio 93.3 KJR-FM in Seattle. “So we’re looking. [But] I don’t see us making a trade for anybody at all. I don’t see that happening.”
The 49ers have attempted to shop Garoppolo all offseason as they’ve moved ahead with second-year quarterback Trey Lance. However, Garoppolo’s recovery from shoulder surgery combined with the knowledge that the 49ers need to release or trade the veteran QB — to avoid his guaranteed salary — before the start of the regular season have led teams to “wait this out,” Fowler noted.
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49ers ‘Happy’ to Keep Garoppolo on the Roster
San Francisco seems to sense this is the case. 49ers team owner Jed York recently claimed that the team was in no rush to trade Garoppolo and they were perfectly content with keeping him on the roster entering the 2022 season.
From an August 19 story by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami:
“I watched it with Joe [Montana] and Steve [Young], and I realize the salary cap is different today than having no salary cap,” York said. “But we’ve said it before: We’re happy to keep Jimmy. We’re happy to have him on the roster. And if that’s the case, then that’s the case.”
There’s little doubt Garoppolo would be an upgrade for the Seahawks. The veteran quarterback has led to the 49ers to a Super Bowl and an NFC Championship Game appearance in two of the past three seasons. His record as a starter (33-14, .702 winning percentage) is third among all current starting quarterbacks in the league, behind Patrick Mahomes (.794) and Tom Brady (.764).
However, it also seems clear that Seattle would be content with moving on without adding Garoppolo. If Garoppolo were to become a free agent, we could be talking about the Seahawks as his next destination. If the 49ers continue to hold out for a trade, there is no chance Seattle would pull off such a deal.