The 49ers have two weeks of summer vacation left before they report to training camp. Whether Jimmy Garoppolo will be with the team on July 26 in Santa Clara remains to be seen.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have been clear since the end of San Francisco’s playoff run that their intention this offseason was to trade Garoppolo and install Trey Lance as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Garoppolo’s spring shoulder surgery complicated that effort but with training camps fast approaching, the trade market is reportedly expected to heat up.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the “expectation around the league” is that the 49ers will trade Garoppolo elsewhere before July ends.
Pelissero’s note on the Garoppolo market came as he checked with the quarterback’s agent, Don Yee, about a report that the Buccaneers would be interested in reuniting Garoppolo with Yee’s highest-profile client, Tom Brady. Yee refuted that report and said that Garoppolo is “progressing well and on schedule” in his recovery from shoulder surgery. He was expected to begin throwing again in early July, but Yee’s update did not specify that the quarterback has done so.
So, if the Bucs aren’t interested in Garoppolo, who might be?
Tampa Bay’s NFC South rivals, the Carolina Panthers, were a popular predicted destination until they acquired former Browns No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield last week. That may open a spot in Cleveland, which has a big question mark in new starter Deshaun Watson, who is likely facing a lengthy suspension over allegations of sexual assault. The Browns do have Jacoby Brissett in line behind Watson, but there’s a chance they’d desire another option for their win-now roster if Watson is out for all of 2022.
The only other team with a glaring need at quarterback is Seattle, but a trade within the division presents risk for both sides and the Seahawks seem content to ride with Drew Lock and Geno Smith, likely with an eye toward landing near the top of the draft. Perhaps when teams arrive at camp, some decisionmakers will find themselves unimpressed with their stable of quarterbacks.
The 49ers are betting on that scenario to help them find a landing spot where Garoppolo can compete for a starting job and save them some of the $24.2 million they owe him next season.
