The 49ers are gathering this week for a mandatory minicamp, but at least one prominent player will be missing from check-in Tuesday in Santa Clara.
Jimmy Garoppolo has an excused absence, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday morning.
Garoppolo has been rehabbing from shoulder surgery he underwent in March, so he may not have been able to participate much in the minicamp anyway. Then there’s the matter of where he’ll be playing come September, when the NFL season opens.
The 49ers and Garoppolo signaled at the end of last season that he would be traded this offseason. The shoulder surgery, which was expected to keep him from throwing until July, put any trade talks on ice. They’ll warm up again quickly if a starting quarterback somewhere across the NFL is injured in training camp, a possibility the 49ers may be banking on as they hold onto Garoppolo. But if he makes the Week 1 roster, he’ll be due $24.2 million — a steep price for a backup quarterback.
Of course, Garoppolo’s presence at minicamp might be welcome, but it’s not nearly as important to the 49ers as the performance of the man supplanting him as the starter, Trey Lance. Just last week, 49ers defenders were wowed by the zip on Lance’s throws at non-mandatory offseason team activities.
One big question hanging over Tuesday’s session is whether wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be there. Samuel, who’s in line for a contract extension, requested a trade before the NFL Draft. The 49ers did not move him, and coach Kyle Shanahan said last month that he expects to see Samuel at minicamp. General manager John Lynch expressed optimism last week about striking a deal with Samuel.
Other prominent players who missed OTAs were center Alex Mack (now retired), left tackle Trent Williams and edge rushers Dee Ford and Nick Bosa, who is also extension-eligible.
Players who miss all three days of minicamp risk being fined nearly $100,000, though teams can choose not to subject their players to the fines.
