Earlier this month, we cast the widest possible net as to the teams that could or should or may be interested in 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Now that the 49ers have reiterated permission to seek a trade that was given back in March, who will make the move, if no one has yet?
The Browns reportedly are out. There has been no reporting suggesting that anyone is in.
On one hand, teams need to keep their cards close to the vest in order to do the best possible deal for Garoppolo. On the other hand, if you want him, there he is, go and get him.
Who will make the move? I continue to think the Texans are deliberately slow playing the situation and waiting for the right chance to reunite Garoppolo with the man who drafted him in New England in 2014. If not the Texans, who?
No one really stands out. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has worked extensively with Garoppolo, but Miami seems to be all in with Tua Tagovailoa. Would Garoppolo be better? He’s done more in recent years than Tua has, that’s for sure.
The Falcons would make sense, but they seem to be content to go forward with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder. The Seahawks reportedly have talked about Garoppolo. But is he really an upgrade in Seattle’s system over Geno Smith or Drew Lock?
The problem is that camps are opening. It won’t be easy for Garoppolo to take charge, like Brett Favre did when he showed up in Minnesota in August 2009 and quickly became the best option. Garoppolo isn’t good enough to show up and take over. And the longer it takes for his status to resolve, the less time he’ll have to win the internal competition for the starting job and to prepare for the external competition against other teams, starting in fewer than two months.
The best play may be to wait for a serious injury to a quarterback elsewhere, even if they rarely happen in August. At some point, Garoppolo will have to decide whether to take a lot less money to remain on the 49ers’ roster — or whether to refuse any reduction, get released, and wait for an opportunity that may not emerge until 2023.