This NFL offseason has seen a number of quarterbacks change teams via surprising trades, but that has not yet been the case for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
It was expected that Garoppolo would be traded this offseason with the team clearly looking toward the future with second-year quarterback Trey Lance. An offseason shoulder surgery for Garoppolo has put that plan on pause, and there are very few options left for him should he want to be a starting quarterback next season. With few trade partners seemingly left for the 49ers, whispers have emerged that the team could potentially just release him.
49ers general manager John Lynch quickly put those rumors to bed on Monday when he talked about the possibilities for Garoppolo moving forward.
“I don’t foresee that,” said Lynch on releasing the quarterback. “He’s too good of a player. I think Jimmy will be playing for us or will be playing for someone else. He’s too good of a player not to be.”
When asked what the hold-up has been on a potential trade, Lynch revealed that the 49ers have not received any formal trade offers for Garoppolo this offseason, mostly due to concerns about how he will recover from his shoulder surgery.
“I think, ultimately, the teams that we were closest with, the surgery gave them pause and they ended up going in other directions,” Lynch said.
This seems reasonable considering the fact that Garoppolo will likely be rehabbing his shoulder deep into the NFL offseason. This could cause the team to hold onto him as a candidate to be traded at some point closer to training camp or even midway through the 2022 season.
Lynch added that some teams that have seemingly gotten their quarterback situation sorted out are still in contact with the 49ers about Garoppolo, but it seems more and more that he will still be a member of the team heading into the 2022 season.
[ESPN.com]
