Does Jimmy Garoppolo Want the 49ers to Cut Him?

The season ended a month ago, and he still hasn't gotten the surgery on his throwing shoulder. That's odd.

When news broke yesterday that Jimmy Garoppolo intends to have surgery on his throwing shoulder, one question immediately popped up:

Why has Garoppolo waited so long?

The season ended a month ago, and he still hasn't gotten the surgery on his throwing shoulder. That's odd, until you realize Garoppolo has zero guaranteed dollars left in his contract, other than a $7.5 million injury guarantee.

I'll explain.

Since there's no guaranteed money left in his contract, the 49ers could cut him right before the season starts, and if teams don't have enough cap space to sign him that late in the year, he could sit out a season and make no money. Or he could sign somewhere for cheap.

But if decides to have surgery, and the 49ers cut him before he can pass a physical, then he'll get $7.5 million. And then he can hit the open market and negotiate a deal with a team of his choice and make even more money.

That seems more appealing to Garoppolo than letting the 49ers control his fate.

And the 49ers just might have to grant Garoppolo his wish and cut him, because they need cap space. They currently are $4 million over the cap, and the legal tampering period of free agency starts on March 14. If they cut Garoppolo before then but after his surgery and he can't pass a physical, they'll get roughly $18 million in cap space immediately. Then, when Garoppolo eventually passes a physical on a new team, the 49ers will get an additional $7.5 million in cap space at that time.

Seems like a win-win for Garoppolo and the 49ers.