If there is one thing us football fans have learned from monitoring the 2021 offseason so far, it’s that the San Francisco 49ers do not have faith in Jimmy Garoppolo as their franchise quarterback anymore. With that being said, there’s no point in keeping Garoppolo around when they can package him in a deal for a different quarterback, and that’s exactly what they’ll be looking to do.
The 49ers will likely stick with Garoppolo if they get no legitimate offers for the signal caller, but they really want to move on from him. The 49ers have already inquired about Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Rodgers publicly and they are likely reaching out to more teams trying to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
Garoppolo, 29, only played in six games due to injury in 2020 and he didn’t play very well in them. In those six games, Garoppolo logged a 67.1 completion percentage, tossed 1,096 yards through the air, and had a touchdown to interception ratio of seven to five.
It’s obvious the 49ers don’t envision Garoppolo as their franchise quarterback anymore and they could be looking to part ways very shortly. There are a lot of rumors up in the air, but it’s obvious that Garoppolo could have played his last game in San Francisco.
Here’s a look at four teams Jimmy Garoppolo could be dealt to this offseason.
Minnesota Vikings
The San Francisco 49ers, in a perfect world, would be able to ship Garoppolo to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Kirk Cousins. Obviously, it would take more than just Garoppolo to get a deal done, but the 49ers would likely do whatever it takes to land Kirk Cousins.
Cousins, who has ties with current San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, had another productive season in 2020. In 2020, Cousins logged a 67.6 completion percentage, tossed 4,265 passing yards, and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 35 to 13.
If the 49ers packaged a deal that included some solid draft compensation as well as Garoppolo, they could get a deal done. It’s unsure whether the Vikings are willing to trade Cousins at this point or not, but Cousins could help lead the 49ers to the playoffs in 2021.
Houston Texans
Another potential option for Jimmy Garoppolo to be playing football next season could be the Houston Texans. The 49ers are expected to be in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes and Garoppolo is likely to be a part of any deal that occurs for San Francisco this offseason.
If the 49ers managed to land Watson, they would be Super Bowl contenders right away in 2021. The 49ers would have to send them quite a bit to land Watson, but it would be worth it if they landed a superstar signal caller.
Garoppolo would also be a very solid stop gap quarterback until the Texans could draft or develop another guy to take his spot and they would have plenty of draft picks to do so. Garoppolo could be a Texan if a trade for Watson goes through.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a bit of a wild card team to land Jimmy Garoppolo, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. The Panthers are thought to have the same problem as the 49ers in terms of wanting a quarterback change and Garoppolo could fit the Carolina scheme much better.
The 49ers would also likely embrace Teddy Bridgewater with open arms as he would still be a better upgrade than Jimmy Garoppolo. Bridgewater, in 2020, completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,733 passing yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 15 to 11. Bridgewater also ran the rock 53 times for a total of 279 yards and five scores.
A one for one trade could happen, but Garoppolo is more likely to be packaged with a bigger deal. While it’s a bit unlikely, Garoppolo could wind up in Carolina this offseason.
Atlanta Falcons
One of the most underrated quarterbacks who seems to be available on the quarterback trade block this offseason is Atlanta’s Matt Ryan. Ryan, 35, has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL since his arrival in 2008.
Ryan, a former NFL MVP, could be on the trade block seeing how a new coaching staff has taken over. He isn’t being actively shopped, but if the 49ers are unable to land Kirk Cousins or Deshaun Watson, they very well could go after Ryan.
In 2020, Ryan completed 65 percent of his passes for 4,581 yards and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 26 to 11. Ryan could be a good option in San Francisco and the Falcons could use Jimmy Garoppolo as a transitional quarterback if they select a signal caller with their fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
