Should the 49ers Trade Jimmy Garoppolo for Baker Mayfield?
Two starting quarterbacks remain on the trade market: Jimmy Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield.
Is it possible they could get traded for each other?
ESPN's Jake Trotter thinks that's a terrific idea, and it certainly makes some sense. Both Garoppolo and Mayfield want off their respective teams, the Browns need a starter in case the NFL suspends Deshaun Watson and the 49ers could use a better backup quarterback than Nate Sudfeld. Plus, Mayfield probably is the best return the 49ers can get for Garoppolo at this point.
Still, the 49ers should not trade Jimmy Garoppolo for Mayfield, and here's why:
1. Trading for Mayfield would send a clear message to the players, fans and media that the 49ers are not 100 percent behind Trey Lance as the starting quarterback, and that's not the message the 49ers should want to send anyone.
2. Mayfield doesn't seem mature enough to accept being Lance's backup, meaning Mayfield could be disruptive.
3. Mayfield is expensive for a backup quarterback -- the 49ers would have to pay him $19 million this upcoming season. It's tough to justify spending that much on a backup quarterback when the 49ers let starting guard Laken Tomlinson leave in free agency this offseason. Better to spend money on Lance's protection as opposed to his understudy.
4. Instead of trading Garoppolo for Mayfield, the 49ers would be better off releasing him, creating cap space and potentially using it to take on a big contract at the trade deadline in an all-in win-now move.
5. If the 49ers don't make a big trade at the deadline, they still can roll over Garoppolo's cap space and use it next year.
Those are plenty of reasons not to trade for Mayfield, and I didn't even mention his horrendous commercials.
Oh wait, I just did. My bad.
