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- Jimmy Garoppolo is working with the San Francisco 49ers to find a suitable trade partner
- His one requirement for that partner might limit his options
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Audio By Carbonatix
It seems the Jimmy Garoppolo era is officially ending in San Francisco. We all knew this day was on its way when the 49ers drafted Trey Lance, we just didn’t know when. Today, Garoppolo told the media that he is working with the 49ers to find a suitable trade partner.
He also gave the media a glimpse at what he’s looking for in a potential trade destination. It turns out he really only has one request.
Jimmy Garoppolo speaking with much more finality about the situation than Lynch or Shanahan, who kept all options on the table.
"I was talking to John the other day about finding the right destination… I just want to go with a place where they want to win."
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) February 1, 2022
While it’s a simple enough request for Garoppolo, it does appear like that would limit his potential landing spots. There’s a pretty clear list of teams that could be in the market for Garoppolo next season.
It’s the Broncos, Steelers, Saints, Buccaneers, and Panthers. The Raiders and Colts might be interested if they move on from their QBs, but Garoppolo doesn’t really seem like much of an upgrade from Derek Carr or Carson Wentz.
Of the 5 teams that definitely need a new quarterback, only 3 might be contenders with Garoppolo. The Saints just lost their head coach. They have no cap space. They might not realize they need a new QB. Their only real option at receiver hasn’t seen the field since early last season.
The Bucs are also in a tough cap situation. They are likely going to lose Gronk this offseason. They probably can’t afford to keep Chris Godwin or OJ Howard. They also could lose Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, and Gio Bernard, leaving them with Ke’Shawn Vaughn and maybe a rookie running back.
The Panthers would be an interesting situation for Garoppolo. They have weapons on offense. They have a strong defense. They really appear to just be a quarterback and some O-Line help away from being a playoff team, especially in a weak NFC South.
The Broncos could be a good landing spot for Garoppolo. They are a very similar team to the Panthers, but in a much tougher division.
The Steelers would be the ideal landing spot. They were a playoff team this season in spite of Ben Roethlisberger. Their defense is also strong enough that they could lean heavily on Najee Harris and keep Jimmy G from having to force too much.
Jimmy Garoppolo only wanting to play for a contender after deep playoff runs in 2 of the last 3 seasons makes a lot of sense, it just might be difficult for him to find that contender.