The San Francisco 49ers' braintrust of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch dramatically misplayed their hand.
It was clear last week and it's a reality now.
Jimmy Garoppolo is still a Niner.
So long as the team held out hope that he could be traded, that was always going to be the case.
And while the quarterback movement around the NFL was fast and furious over the last few days, Garoppolo's market remained cold and infuriating.
Dominoes kept falling — new players, surprising players, entered the fray — and Garoppolo kept being moved to the back of the line.
He remains there now.
At least he has some company in Browns' outcast Baker Mayfield, who will most likely find a new home before Garoppolo, too.
There is only one team still openly looking to upgrade at quarterback this offseason: the Carolina Panthers, who are believed in NFL circles to be circling Liberty quarterback Malik Willis with the No. 6 overall pick in next months' NFL Draft. Carolina's interest in Garoppolo has been lukewarm at best to date. With Mayfield — younger, cheaper, a recent No. 1 overall pick, and capable of throwing before training camp — on the market, Garoppolo seems highly unlikely to be heading to Charlotte.
But there's a sliver of salvation. Another team could enter the fray. And if push comes to shove, they could well value Garoppolo over Mayfield.
The only problem?
They're the 49ers' arch-rivals.
The Seattle Seahawks might have a roster that looks like it's tanking, but the top mouths in the organization is openly saying that it will do nothing of the sort. They might have traded the franchise's most important offensive player since Steve Largent, but Pete Carroll and company still think they're going to win next season.
The problem: Drew Lock is their presumed starting quarterback.
Now, the Seahawks can delude themselves into thinking that Lock can win games as a starting quarterback — something I did back when he was at our alma mater, Mizzou — but the truth is that he is a backup. His time as a starter will be exceptionally short-lived.
Deep down, they have to know that.
Maybe they'll call the Browns about Mayfield.
But what if the 49ers called Seattle general manager John Schneider first and offered him a viable alternative?
For a team like the Seahawks, Garoppolo — injured throwing shoulder and all — could be an interesting proposition. Carroll wants to get back to "classic Seahawks football", Garoppolo might just be the guy to do it for him.
He's not a swashbuckler like Lock or Mayfield or Wilson. He'll play within structure. He knows how to hand it off. He can throw the ball over the middle of the field. He's only good on third down.
And there are no issues with immaturity from Garoppolo, either.
That's a Pete Carroll quarterback if I've ever seen one.
Hey, maybe the Niners will get lucky and the Seahawks won't watch any tape save for Week 18 of 2019.
Now, to date, the 49ers have been holding onto hope that they could trade Garopppolo out of the conference.
Trading him in the division? That was out of the question.
But the 49ers have zero leverage. If San Francisco wants to trade Garoppolo, picking up the phone and calling Seattle is the only viable option remaining.
It's the last call at the bar — find someone or go home alone.
And let's be clear — there's a slim chance the Niners swallow their pride and move Garoppolo to the Seahawks. From what I can garner, they'd rather keep him as the NFL's most expensive backup quarterback. In fact, it's more likely that after four seasons without a contract extension, the Niners could restructure Garoppolo one this summer to mitigate his salary cap hit.
Yeah, when I called this situation a total botch, I was underselling it a bit.
The Seahawks know this too. If they are interested in Garoppolo, they would be well served to wait.
That's because the Niners could take the L and cut Garoppolo.
Of course, where do you think he'd end up then? He could go to Seattle and the Niners wouldn't get a thing for it.
This might be the worst game of chicken ever played.
But the 49ers are in dire straits. At this point, they're legitimately hoping for a terrible injury to befall a poorly-backed-up quarterback somewhere in the league.
That's not a plan.
Here's one: get on the phone and beg your rivals to take the quarterback who was twice at the Niners' helm in the NFC Championship Game. Sign up to face him twice a season, every season. Accept a late-round pick swap and smile for the opportunity.
Think that would be embarrassing? I can assure you it's less embarrassing than what the Niners have done to date. And it's way less embarrassing than having No. 10 in red and gold holding a clipboard next season.
