As the San Francisco 49ers were in the process of turning their offense over to Trey Lance, there was no shortage of trade rumors surrounding former starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
There were several teams reportedly interested in him, but for whatever reason, the 49ers never pulled the trigger.
As it turned out, Garoppolo will be staying in the Bay on a restructured contract as Lance’s backup, which is pretty much the best outcome the team could’ve hoped for.
Breaking: Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers agreed to a restructured one-year contract that will keep the QB in San Francisco this season, sources tell @AdamSchefter.
His one-year restructured deal is worth $6.5 million in base, fully guaranteed, per sources. pic.twitter.com/wLp1jKdJKK
— ESPN (@espn) August 29, 2022
General manager John Lynch told prospective trade partners back in March that the 49ers had been offered two second-round draft picks for the QB, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“As we hear it, 49ers G.M. John Lynch is telling interested teams that he has an offer in hand of two second-round picks for Garoppolo, a player the team acquired in 2017 for one second-round pick,” Florio wrote.
But now, during an interview with KNBR radio, Lynch denied ever saying anything of the sort.
“I never said that,” Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show before laughing. “We were in a bunch of talks with teams, and it was right about when we were at the Combine, those talks were heating up.”
If The 49ers Ever Got Such An Offer, Should They Have Said Yes?
Garoppolo may not be an elite QB, and some feel he isn’t even a second-tier signal-caller, but he is an above-average one who would represent an upgrade for many NFL teams.
Two second-round draft picks is a solid return for such a player, and one of those picks could net a reliable contributor or possibly even a future Pro Bowler.
In his five years starting under center in San Francisco, Garoppolo posted a 31-14 record and a 98.3 passer rating.
When the 49ers acquired him midway through the 2017 season, they were a poor team that was starting what looked like a long-term rebuilding project, but he dramatically shortened the length of that project.
They won each of his first five games with him, and just two seasons later, he took them to the Super Bowl, where they held a late 20-10 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Unfortunately, the Niners’ defense didn’t hold up, and they lost the world championship to Patrick Mahomes and crew.
Last season, after starting 3-5, the team went to the NFC Championship Game versus the Los Angeles Rams, where it again held a late lead but lost.
Garoppolo’s inability to put San Francisco over the hump apparently spurred it on to trade significant draft capital for the pick that became Lance in last year’s draft.
After trading away two first-round picks and a third-round selection, one may think the 49ers’ best play would be to replenish their draft capital.
However, with an inexperienced starting QB such as Lance, a strong insurance policy is needed, and that’s what Garoppolo will give them.
Is it a blow to Jimmy Garoppolo's ego that he is now the backup QB?
"If that's gonna take a blow to your ego, you gotta check your ego a little bit." pic.twitter.com/oSlCgQom9I
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 1, 2022
If Lance gets hurt or goes through a rough stretch, Garoppolo can take over for a while and make sure the team at least remains afloat.
This arrangement has the ability to take lots of pressure off Lance this season since he will know that the team won’t have to suffer if he plays poorly.
In the end, the 49ers made the right decision, and the last few months have turned out much better than it seemed they might.
NEXT: Jimmy Garoppolo Welcomes Himself Back To The Fans
Randy Franklin says
It’s good to read an article that puts the positivity of this arrangement first. I’d disagree JG is not a top QB in the league however, not “elite” but an awesome rhythm passer with quick release and accuracy. If not for his team first attitude he could have gone to Seattle to start or backed up Brady, both roles more prestigious than backing up a newbie… I only wish more writers gave him the credit for loving SF as you do here.