Report: Panthers 'Likely' to Show Interest in Jimmy Garoppolo

Could Jimmy G finally land in Carolina?

For the second consecutive offseason, the Carolina Panthers are being linked to Jimmy Garoppolo. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Panthers, Raiders, and Texans are "likely" to be interested in the 31-year-old quarterback.

This time around, the likelihood of Jimmy G actually landing in Carolina seems more realistic. Carolina doesn't have to give up anything to get him due to his contract expiring this past season AND he's not going to carry a $26.9M cap hit. Garoppolo is going to be significantly cheaper due to age, injury history, and a talented QB class.

The Panthers kicked around the idea of adding Derek Carr, but after a couple of discussions, the front office felt like it was too big of a commitment money-wise, which led to Carr inking a four-year deal with division rival New Orleans.

Panthers GM Scott Fitterer has been adamant about drafting and developing a QB as the "most ideal" way to build a team, but didn't rule out the possibility of signing a veteran AND drafting a rookie.

"You could do both. But if you're going to do that, you probably wouldn't pay top dollar for a quarterback at that point. You want to be a little bit smarter about where you spend your money. Maybe that's where you put your money in a linebacker or a tight end or something else at that point."

In 10 starts this past season with the 49ers, Garoppolo threw for 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 67% of his pass attempts. 

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