The 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo still have a good working relationship. How far San Francisco is willing to go to help their former starting QB has its limits though.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Sunday reported in a hit for NFL Network that with no clear trade partner developing, the 49ers are willing to keep Garoppolo on their roster all the way until August 30 when rosters are cut from 80 to 53.
If they keep Garoppolo beyond that date his $24.1 million base salary becomes fully-guaranteed.
This is the correct move for the 49ers. They’re doing what’s best for their club by keeping Garoppolo as long as possible in case a team develops a need at QB and wants to compensate San Francisco to take the veteran signal caller from them.
Doing this could adversely affect Garoppolo in 2022 though. The longer he’s on the 49ers’ roster the harder it will be for him to catch on with a team in time to play in Week 1. That ship might have even sailed by now.
We speculated the 49ers would do Garoppolo a favor and release him early to give him time to sign on with a new club and compete for a starting spot. They don’t appear inclined to do that.
Alas, the Garoppolo saga in San Francisco continues, and he could officially be a 49er all the way through the preseason. This isn’t the way the 49ers envisioned their split with Garoppolo happening, but playing it out this way with the hand they’ve been dealt makes the most sense.
