Why the 49ers Won't be Able to Trade Jimmy Garoppolo Once he is Healthy

The 49ers believe that a trade market for Jimmy Garoppolo will surface when he is healthy, but their belief is for naught.

Trading Jimmy Garoppolo remains a goal for the 49ers.

It has been their objective that they have remained adamant and outspoken about since the end of the 2021 season.

However, they have failed miserably in getting anywhere close to a trade being done. Garoppolo's health is what the 49ers have cited as to why they have failed, so once he is healthy in July, they believe a trade can be done. And that belief is all for naught, or better yet it is outright delusion on their end.

The 49ers won't be able to trade Garoppolo even when he is healthy.

A trade market suddenly appearing is completely farfetched. Practically every single team in the NFL already has its quarterbacks set. There is no way a team is going to trade assets to the 49ers for a quarterback who will have just a month to get the playbook down before the regular season starts. Not to mention that some rapport will need to be built with his teammates. 

That is a significant factor to account for when trading for Garoppolo and it is why trading for him was never possible with his injury back in March. All he could've done at that time was continue to rehab and dig into the playbook on a normal schedule. Acquiring him will force him to learn the playbook quickly or force the team that trades for him to simplify the playbook for the early portion of the season. That will be a huge limitation on an offense with a quarterback who is already limited to begin with.

All of these are detracting factors as to why trading for Garoppolo is a delusion. That alone is enough to be a distraction even without considering how absurd his salary is. Another obstacle in the way of trading Garoppolo is the availability of Baker Mayfield. With a better arm and mobility to his game along with a cheaper contract, Mayfield is the much better quarterback to want to acquire. Even his trade market is nonexistent despite being a more trade friendly commodity than Garoppolo.

The 49ers are going to be forced to cut Garoppolo and it'll probably happen close to Week 1. Keeping him close to the regular season just to make sure nothing goes amiss with his shoulder so that they don't get dinged with a dead cap hit for Garoppolo failing a physical. Trading Garoppolo won't happen. The 49ers can continue to dream about it, but they need to come to terms with reality.

Garoppolo will be cut -- not traded.