It has been quite the offseason for Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers.
After suffering an injury-riddled 2020 campaign, rumors spread that Garoppolo may not remain in the Bay for much longer.
Those whispers only grew louder when the 49ers traded up for the third pick in the 2021 draft.
Furthermore, John Lynch recently confirmed that the team will select a quarterback of the future in that slot.
49ers GM John Lynch: "We felt like we had a team that can compete. … We went to ownership, said 'hey things are looking good, we want to make this (trade), but we don't want to say good bye to Jimmy.'"
Ownership signed off on keeping both a rookie and Jimmy Garoppolo.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 29, 2021
So far, San Francisco still plans on having Garoppolo start for them.
However, they have left the door open for any teams seeking to add him to their roster.
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said it's accurate that team is planning to keep Jimmy Garoppolo, barring being blown away by offer. Shanahan said he believes it would be hard to find a QB who helps them win right now more than Garoppolo and excited to have a QB learning behind him.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 29, 2021
Niners asking for first-round pick in potential Jimmy Garoppolo deal (per @MikeGiardi)https://t.co/0tNFefqHAl pic.twitter.com/VIdCalfA8I
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) April 2, 2021
Here are three teams that should trade for the 29-year-old quarterback.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are one logical destination for Garoppolo.
They recently signed Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million contract after letting Mitchell Trubisky walk.
Early indications point to the Red Rifle as the QB1 heading into the new season, but much can change in the following months.
Bears see Andy Dalton as their starting QB: "He's one of the more complete quarterbacks that we evaluated in free agency and we're excited to have him"https://t.co/gdZtiXTn7H pic.twitter.com/4ee5KY4nGD
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) April 2, 2021
After all, he largely underwhelmed in his 11 game stint with the Dallas Cowboys.
He averaged just 197.3 yards per game and had a 14-8 touchdown to interception ratio.
The Cowboys did play without a healthy offensive line, but Dalton still failed to properly utilize Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Ezekiel Elliot.
Therefore, it is difficult to believe that Dalton would do any better with a lesser supporting cast.
Aside from Allen Robinson and David Montgomery, the weapons in Chicago leave a lot to be desired.
Garoppolo is a better player at this point of their respective careers and would make the offense a bit more threatening.
It would also be a homecoming for Jimmy G, who grew up an hour drive away from Chicago.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are another team that has suffered through a gauntlet of different quarterbacks in recent years.
John Elway has tried and continually failed to find the permanent successor to Peyton Manning since he retired in 2015.
Their current starter, Drew Lock, is in danger of joining the Broncos’ list of projects to end in disaster.
He has all the physical traits to be successful in the league and has flashed brilliance over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between.
Denver’s brass is hopeful he can flip a switch, but his current track record suggests that it might be time to move on.
Broncos GM George Paton on March 18 on the QB position:
“We like Drew Lock. We have a plan in place and there’s free agency, there’s the draft, there’s trades, there’s a lot of ways to acquire a quarterback. … We do want to bring in competition. We are not going to force it.”
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) March 26, 2021
He has averaged just 219 yards per game and has thrown 23 touchdowns to 18 interceptions in 18 games.
So long as he stays healthy, Garoppolo should be an upgrade, as he would give the offense a better chance to sustain drives and score.
The Broncos also have a legitimate receiving corp with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, and Noah Fant.
Garoppolo may not be the long-term solution, but he at least would provide some stability for an offense ready to take off.
New England Patriots
Garoppolo’s reunion with the New England Patriots has circulated since the beginning of the offseason.
It might not make a ton of sense on the surface, seeing that they just resigned Cam Newton.
However, the Patriots are only on the hook for a one-year deal worth up to $14 million.
He is by no means guaranteed the starting job either, as his first year with the team did not go as planned.
Kraft on whether he would be fine with Cam Newton being the starter: "I trust Coach Belichick's ability to build a football team."
— Karen Guregian (@kguregian) March 31, 2021
Newton struggled statically, though he dealt with a bout of COVID-19, as well as a subpar supporting cast.
Nonetheless, he was miserable through the air, throwing for just 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
He did partially make up for it with nearly 600 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
Newton’s inability to stretch the field vertically, though, forced the offense to be predictable and one-dimensional.
If New England wanted to have a more traditional aerial attack, bringing Garoppolo back would be a wise decision.
He spent the first three years of his career in Foxborough and would be a seamless fit in Josh McDaniel’s offense.
Plus, the Patriots completely revamped their offense, signing Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry, Nelson Agholor, and Kendrick Bourne.
They could be the perfect match for their former quarterback who was once destined to take over for Tom Brady.
NEXT: Kyle Shanahan Says He Doesn't Talk To NBC's Chris Simms
