The San Francisco 49ers are on the verge of cutting ties with former starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. There have been a number of teams linked all offseason, but a surprise team is now getting mentioned.
This past week ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio put forward the idea of Garoppolo joining the rival Los Angeles Rams if he gets cut by the 49ers. Florio pointed out that he would be an ideal backup for Matthew Stafford, who appears to be dealing with an injury at the moment.
“The question has become more relevant as more information has emerged regarding starting quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s elbow. Reportedly a case of “bad tendinitis,” it’s a baseball issue — and the Rams seem to be flummoxed by the situation,” Florio wrote.
“It would be awkward, to say the least, for the 49ers to trade him to the Rams. The more likely scenario would entail the 49ers releasing Garoppolo before Week One, making him a free agent who could sign with any team. Then, the Rams could try to woo him as the insurance policy for Stafford.”
Florio said that if the 49ers don’t find a trade partner for Garoppolo, they’ll likely be forced to cut him. In that event, he sees the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks emerging as contenders.
Jimmy Garoppolo is 31-14 with a 67.7-percent completion rate and over 11,000 passing yards in 46 games for the 49ers. But his limitations have been blatantly obvious to the team in their Super Bowl LIV and 2021 NFC Championship Game losses.
The 49ers are now ready to move forward with Trey Lance as their starter – whether Lance is prepared for the role or not – but still have to contend with Garoppolo’s $24.2 million salary first.
Will the Rams wind up being Jimmy Garoppolo’s next NFL team?