Destinations for Jimmy Garoppolo are running low as training camps get ready to open. One starting job still potentially available is up in Seattle where the Seahawks are working through a quarterback battle between Drew Lock and Geno Smith. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday reported Seattle has done its homework on Garoppolo as they explore other options.
“And you have Seattle that’s still out there. They were sort of implicated in the Baker Mayfield situation – didn’t make that move,” Fowler said Monday on SportsCenter. “I’m told that internally, they have discussed the possibility of Garoppolo playing for them. They’ve done their film work to see how he would fit. It’s tricky, certainly, to do a trade inside of the NFC West, but the 49ers and Seattle know they can maybe sort of wait this out.”
This is a fascinating conundrum for the 49ers. Depending on if/when they want to take action on Garoppolo, the Seahawks may be their only choice.
However, it would make sense if they weren’t extremely eager to move the QB to Seattle. One, because of his intimate knowledge of the team and the offense. And two, because it would actively make Seattle better. If the 49ers had a choice between facing Jimmy Garoppolo or one of either Smith or Lock, they’re choosing the latter duo.
Unfortunately for San Francisco, as Fowler noted, they may not have a choice if they don’t want to carry Garoppolo into the regular season. His 2022 contract becomes guaranteed on Week 1, so they’d at least have to shed that deal before then, and it appears the only way a market could develop is if a team suffers an injury at QB in camp or the preseason.
It’ll be interesting to see as this drags out and the Seahawks remain the only suitor whether the lingering NFC West foe keeps the 49ers from making a move to release Garoppolo. While that would make sense, it would also make sense that they’d be ready to move on regardless of where the QB winds up.
Garoppolo landing with the Seahawks would be the perfectly weird ending to this very strange saga that began with Garoppolo’s arrival in the middle of the 2017 campaign. Nevertheless, movement may be sparse until later in July or into August and the waiting game will continue.
