Should the 49ers Trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the Colts?
The Colts have a starting quarterback vacancy.
Carson Wentz is undergoing foot surgery today to remove a bone that will cause him to miss as much as 12 weeks of action.
For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, this a major blow to have their starting quarterback out of action. Situations like this are what leads teams to exploring outside-experienced options at quarterback. One player who could be an options is the 49ers very own Jimmy Garoppolo. With how Trey Lance is looking in training camp and continuing to earn the trust of his teammates, it is only a matter of time before he proves he is ready to be the starter. For the 49ers, there is no better time to get compensation for Garoppolo while also looking good from a public relations standpoint.
So should the 49ers trade Garoppolo to the Colts?
Absolutely.
It cannot be overstated how prime of an opportunity it is right now to shed Garoppolo's contract. Let Lance take the start in Week 1 and fully kickstart his development. Doing so is the perfect way to maximize his rookie contract, while also getting some draft capital in return for Garoppolo. A third- or fourth-rounder would suffice for Garoppolo at this juncture. And the 49ers have the perfect excuse as to why they would trade him.
Kyle Shanahan can easily come out and say, "Trey has continued to improve and looks ready to take over. We thought it would be best to let Jimmy be a starter elsewhere and do right by him." Something along those lines would be said, hence they have the P.R. outlook taken care of. Trading Garoppolo this season is the only option the 49ers have of getting him off the team as outright cutting him will not make for a good look.
However, even if the 49ers were to elect to go this route, I doubt the Colts are willing. For starters, there is more familiarity and likely cheaper draft capital for the Colts to go after Nick Foles who is a third-string quarterback for the Bears. Garoppolo likely doesn't even register on their radar if they consider a trade, which I am not too sure they will pursue one as they have already spent some hefty draft capital at the quarterback position. Zach Hicks, who is a Lead Analyst for Horeshoe Huddle of Sports Illustrated, gave a quick take from the Colts' perspective.
"It would be unwise for the Colts to trade any draft capital for a veteran quarterback," said Hicks. "The team just traded two picks for Carson Wentz and spent a fourth on Jacob Eason last year. The best option for the team is seeing what Eason can do with real snaps."
Could not agree more with Hicks. As much as the Colts are in "win now" mode, they likely will look to get by with Eason.
A trade to the Colts is just a faint chance at best with Garoppolo.
