Report: Jimmy Garoppolo came up in 49ers-Colts trade talks last offseason

The 49ers’ trade with the Colts that sent DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis came as a bit of shock to open the 2020 league year. It nearly came with an added layer of surprise. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Jimmy Garoppolo was briefly discussed while the teams hammered out a deal for Buckner.

Here’s what Breer wrote in his Monday Morning Quarterback column in a section about Indianapolis as a possible landing spot for Matthew Stafford:

The question, then, becomes whether GM Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich would see Stafford as a Band-Aid or more than that. The team went with a Band-Aid last year, in Rivers, after taking a shot with Jacoby Brissett in 2019 (and that was after Jimmy Garoppolo’s name briefly came up in the DeForest Buckner trade talks with San Francisco). Might they want to fix the position once and for all? I think that would be preferable.

This raises a number of questions. Perhaps the largest one is which side put Garoppolo’s name on the table, and how briefly was he discussed?

Let’s assume for a moment the 49ers were the ones who offered up their starting quarterback. What was their plan had they dealt him after the 2019 season? It’s hard to imagine they were ready to ship him off without a solid plan to replace him with an upgrade. Philip Rivers and Tom Brady were both free agents, and the only quarterback available when the 49ers’ first-round pick came up was Utah State’s Jordan Love.

If we believe the Colts lofted Garoppolo’s name into the discussion – which would make sense since Indianapolis was the one looking for a replacement for Brissett – it’s safe to assume San Francisco was quick to eliminate that idea given the available options in the event they moved off the quarterback who had them in the Super Bowl the month prior.

This offseason could wind up placing Garoppolo in more trade talks. With several quarterbacks potentially on the move, a loaded draft class, and Garoppolo coming off another injury-riddled season, San Francisco might be more willing to include the signal caller in a deal.