Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers have been in discussions for a possible trade since the conclusion of 2021 NFL season. Garoppolo underwent offseason shoulder surgery in March, which put a damper on his trade negotiations as teams were not likely to take a gamble on him without knowing if he would make a full recovery.
Garoppolo’s agent, Don Yee, told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Monday that his client was “progressing” and is “on schedule” in his rehab process. However, even with Garoppolo’s progress, all signs still point to San Francisco trading Garoppolo by the end of July, per Pelissero. Adding to the general consensus for a Garoppolo trade, retired Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo feels that it is only a matter of time before teams start rolling in seeking Garoppolo’s services as long as he is healthy.
“When he gets healthy, you'll see teams coming in,” Romo told The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday. “I think the Niners are staying pat. Because as soon as a quarterback gets injured in camp or in preseason, something usually happens where someone gets banged up. … That'll be when the value will go up, and the 49ers will get more value than they're getting right now. I think that's when they're going to pull the trigger.”
Garoppolo was excused from the team’s mandatory minicamp in June and is slated to cost San Francisco $26.95 million in cap space in 2022. If the 30-year-old is traded or released, the 49ers would save $25.55 million. However, 49ers general manager John Lynch was determined on not releasing Garoppolo as he went through his recovery process.
With Garoppolo's progression, several teams including the Buccaneers and NFC West rival Seahawks have been linked to the quarterback. However, any potential deal for the Buccaneers acquiring Garoppolo was shut down on Monday when Yee said the rumors were false.
As for the Seahawks, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the franchise had done its film work on Garoppolo but was not fully secure on a trade with a division rival. Romo, meanwhile, said he could see a possible trade to Seattle but it would be “rare” if the move was made.
“You know this person knows your team, inside and out, and don't necessarily want someone else in the division to have that kind of information or talent,” Romo said, per The Zach Gelb Show. “If [the Seahawks] view [Garoppolo] as a really talented guy but think Trey’s a bit more talented, they probably won’t do that and trade him within the division. But if they view him not at that level, it'd be different.”
In the 2021 season, Garoppolo threw for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions while completing 68.3% of his passes.
