Is there a Trade Market for Jimmy Garoppolo?
The 49ers and The NFL Network insist a trade market will exist for Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
Really?
We're talking about a quarterback the 49ers want to replace so bad, they spent three first-round picks and a third rounder on his heir apparent. They didn't just take a quarterback who fell to them. They mortgaged the future to get rid of Garoppolo.
That's because Garoppolo is a game manager. Ideally, the 49ers want him to pass as infrequently as possible. They want to take the game out of his hands. And that's because he rarely passes downfield, makes very few big-time throws, is turnover prone and slow to move and process information. There are lots of available quarterbacks with his limitations.
And yet Garoppolo is expensive. The 49ers are holding out for a second-round pick in return for him, which means some team would have to like Garoppolo so much, they'd send the 49ers a valuable pick just so they can pay Garoppolo $27 million next season or sign him to a large extension.
Why would any team be that desperate when they can simply sign a comparable player for a quarter of the price in free agency? Teddy Bridgewater will be available. He has Garoppolo's skillset.
And so do rookies. Drafting a quarterback in Round 1 would cost a team far less than trading for Garoppolo and spending big bucks on him.
Why would the Saints trade for Garoppolo when they have the cheap Jameis Winston under contract, plus a first-round pick they can spend on another cheap quarterabck?
Why would the Broncos trade for Garoppolo when they could just draft a quarterback or re-sign Bridgewater?
Garoppolo is like a Toyota Camry that costs $250,000 because it has leather seats, a woodgrain steering wheel and butterfly doors. But it's still a Camry with limited horsepower. You can get the same horsepower for much cheaper.
Plus, teams know the 49ers have to get Garoppolo's contract off the books fast so they can extend Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel this offseason. Teams simply can wait for the 49ers to cut him.
As things stand now, I don't see a trade market for Garoppolo. Maybe things will change, though.
