The San Francisco 49ers are not focusing on the offseason as they were able to keep their season alive in Wild Card weekend. They picked up a victory over their long-time rivals in the Dallas Cowboys, winning 23-17 at AT&T Stadium. However, the offseason could feature a quarterback change, and there is some speculation that Jimmy Garoppolo could be traded to the Washington Football Team.
The 49ers certainly didn’t put the Cowboys away when they had the chance. They led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but had San Francisco converted some of their earlier drives into touchdowns instead of field goals, they would have buried Dallas before halftime.
But, a win is a win and the 49ers are advancing to face off with the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round. While the organization is focused on that game, there are some people with an eye toward the future.
This offseason is going to be an interesting one in the Bay Area. The 49ers traded up to select Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. While Garoppolo was able to hold him off this season, it certainly sounds like the starting job for the 2022 season will be Lance’s.
If this is the case, what will the 49ers do with Garoppolo? He would be an excellent backup for a young quarterback, but that likely isn’t a situation the 49ers will explore. One logical decision could be looking to trade Garoppolo in the offseason.
Given how many teams could be in the market for a starting quarterback this offseason, the 49ers should be able to get some solid value for Garoppolo on a trade. One league executive believes that the Washington Football Team will ultimately be where he lands.
“I have some concerns about Garoppolo outside of the Kyle Shanahan offense,” the executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “but Washington has some in-breaking stuff that would be similar. It wouldn’t be as much of an issue if you can define throws for him.”
Jimmy Garoppolo has won a ton in his career and San Francisco has made one Super Bowl trip with him at the helm. Despite that, it looks evident when he plays that the offense’s ceiling is capped with him running the show.
For example, in Sunday’s game against the Cowboys Garoppolo made some head-scratching decisions that nearly cost his team the game. He missed numerous wide-open receivers but his biggest blunder was on the 49ers’ final drive of the game.
With the game in the balance, on fourth and short he did not give his man in motion, left tackle Trent Williams, time to get set. Garoppolo got the first down on the sneak, but Williams was called for a false start as he was not set before the snap.
It ultimately did not cost them the game against the Cowboys, but it certainly could have. Instead of icing the game there, the 49ers punted and gave Dallas a chance to drive down the field to win the game.
While Jimmy Garoppolo’s time with the 49ers looks like it could be coming to an end, there will certainly be another starting job in his future to take advantage of. The Washington Football Team seem like a very possible landing spot.
