Shoulder surgery for Jimmy Garoppolo put a halt on trade talks for the 49ers’ quarterback. Interest in Garoppolo could be ramping up soon though as teams wrap up their mandatory minicamps.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer on Tuesday in an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show said he expects interest for Garoppolo and Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to climb as we move into the middle of June.
While the talks may ramp up, the surgically repaired throwing shoulder will still be the key to any market that forms for Garoppolo.
“Then with Jimmy it’s just about getting him to the point where he can throw again,” Breer said. “So if he can demonstrate he can throw at the end of the month, which is sort of the target, then I think the dynamic could change with him a little bit too.”
The problem that arises for the 49ers is most of the quarterback movement happened months ago prior to free agency. Teams signed and traded a slew of big-name QBs, leaving Garoppolo floating in the wind with his banged up shoulder.
With so much movement via trade, free agency and the draft, the market may have dried up. Breer did offer a few potential solutions for San Francisco though.
“We want to get a look at Sam Darnold in Ben McAdoo’s offense. We want to get a look at Matt Corral, how he comes along coming from a simplistic college offense, then we’re gonna reassess after we’re done with the offseason program,” Breer said describing the Panthers’ mindset. “So that’s why I’m saying in about a week and a half Carolina, Seattle, those teams I think are going to have probably a better idea overall of where they are at quarterback. And that’s when I think those talks resume .. whether it’s San Francisco and Carolina, Cleveland and Carolina, Seattle and San Francisco – whatever it is … I think some of those talks get rekindled at the end of next week.”
The 49ers have hung on to Garoppolo through the offseason in hopes of finding a trade partner for him. They could’ve cut him with big cap savings at any time during the offseason. San Francisco still believes there’s value in Garoppolo, and their bet may be right depending on how the QB depth charts shake out in Carolina, Seattle and Cleveland heading into July.
If a team is going to trade for a signal caller at this point they’ll want to do so as soon as possible to get that player in the building and learning the playbook. Then they can hit the ground running in training camp.
Regardless of what conclusion the Garoppolo saga has, it sounds like the end of the road is coming sooner rather than later.
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