For now, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo remains with the San Francisco 49ers after he agreed to restructure his contract.
Initially, the team wanted to trade him to free up significant cap space.
However, his trade market was slower than expected, possibly because of his shoulder surgery.
The 49ers could have cut him before the deadline of whittling down rosters to 53 men, but they fear that other teams like the Seattle Seahawks may easily sign him.
As division rivals, they are bound to face each other at least twice per season, with the earliest schedule in Week 2.
Therefore, the Niners did the unthinkable by holding on to Garoppolo while reducing his cap hit.
They were able to bring down his count from his original 2022 base salary of $24.5 million to $6.5 million.
With Garoppolo staying, the 49ers have a solid backup plan in case Trey Lance doesn’t live up to expectations.
The veteran quarterback’s new deal also contains no-trade and no-tag clauses.
However, as ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter shared, even those provisions do not guarantee that Garoppolo will be with San Francisco for the entire 2022 campaign.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s no-trade clause just means that if any team wanted to trade for him, it would have to include him in the conversation and get his and the 49ers’ consent. So the no-trade clause allows Garoppolo and the 49ers to have 10 more weeks to see if a proper suitor arises
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 29, 2022
Schefter tweeted, “Jimmy Garoppolo’s no-trade clause just means that if any team wanted to trade for him, it would have to include him in the conversation and get his and the 49ers’ consent. So the no-trade clause allows Garoppolo and the 49ers to have 10 more weeks to see if a proper suitor arises.”
Which Teams Are Interested With Garoppolo?
The Seahawks are still the top option because no one between Geno Smith and Drew Lock has proven to be worthy of the starting quarterback role.
Getting Garoppolo would be an upgrade in terms of experience and leadership.
Likewise, the Cleveland Browns might also go for trade if Jacoby Brissett isn’t playing well.
Deshaun Watson is serving a lengthy suspension, and they need other options at quarterback.
NEXT: NFL Insider Reveals New Jimmy Garoppolo Update