The San Francisco 49ers can do all the posturing they want, and say Jimmy Garoppolo is their quarterback until their blue in the face.
But until it’s Week 1 and he’s under center, nobody is going to believe them.
There long had been chatter about the Niners possibly moving on from Garoppolo this offseason. That gained steam in a big way when San Fran traded up to third overall in the upcoming NFL Draft, in a quarterback-heavy year, no less.
So, if John Lynch decided to trade the 29-year-old, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos the two best options.
“Realistically,” Barnwell wrote, “the Patriots and Broncos stand out as the two most obvious options for a Garoppolo trade, and with the no-trade clause, you can imagine where Garoppolo might prefer to go. …
“The Patriots once seemingly did the 49ers a favor by sending Garoppolo to San Francisco for a second-round pick (in 2017); I wonder if the 49ers will do the same by sending Jimmy G back to New England for a midround selection.”
It’s a fair thing to wonder, no doubt.
The Garoppolo-Patriots reunion storyline is all the rage right now, and it was even prior to Friday’s fireworks. Don’t expect that to go away, especially if the 49ers end up taking a quarterback in the first round next month.