The 49ers are loosely following the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan at quarterback. Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes, let him sit his rookie season, and let Alex Smith start that year while Mahomes developed as the QB2. It’s not far from what San Francisco did in 2021 with Trey Lance sitting behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Now the 49ers can take another step toward following the Chiefs’ blueprint when they trade Garoppolo.
Questions of Garoppolo’s value in the trade market linger following his up-and-down, injury-riddled 4.5 seasons in the Bay Area. A down year for QBs in the draft and a thin free agent group adds another layer to the value fluctuation for the 49ers’ signal caller. A good place to look might be the Chiefs’ deal to send Smith to Washington before the 2018 campaign.
Once again the Commanders are in need of a quarterback after falling short of the playoffs with Taylor Heinicke last season. In January of 2018 they dealt a 2018 third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in exchange for the QB.
That might be a good indicator of Garoppolo’s value. Although Garoppolo has had more injury problems and hasn’t been as productive as Smith, so Washington might only send a fourth-round pick and attach a player. Perhaps defensive lineman Daron Payne, a 2018 first-round pick who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, could be the player they elect to move.
It would be pretty on the nose if they wound up sending Garoppolo to the same team Smith went to for a similar package. The move would make sense though even if it is a little bit of an overpay for the Commanders.
The 49ers would certainly take an early Day 3 or late Day 2 pick with a player for Garoppolo, especially after his offseason shoulder surgery. If there’s a team willing to offer more than that though, they’d happily veer away from tracing virtually the exact same path Kansas City took four years ago.
