The San Francisco 49ers continue to be the focus of the NFL’s rumor mill after trading up to acquire the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft from the Miami Dolphins.
Not only are the talks focused on which quarterback the Niners will select third, but there are still plenty of rumors about what the team will do with the incumbent starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.
During their recent media availability, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan said they plan to keep Garoppolo for next season. Still, Shanahan didn’t completely close the door on moving Jimmy G.
“Now, if someone wanted something for that and it can make your team better in a lot of other ways, you listen to that, but also depends on how good you feel about that rookie,” Shanahan admitted. “We’re not there yet right now and odds are, we probably won’t be. That’s why we’re happy that we don’t have to be that way. We’ve got a guy in here who we know we can win with, a guy that our players love, that we love and we’re excited to have him this year and we’re excited to have a hell of a quarterback right behind him learning for when the time is his.”
Sports Illustrated’s Alber Breer was asked what kind of compensation the 49ers are looking for in a potential Garoppolo trade in his recent mailbag and had this to say.
I was told that, yes, it’d take a first-round pick for the Niners to listen at this point, which of course would be nice for San Francisco to have after it yielded its firsts in 2022 and ’23 to jump from No. 12 to 3. That, of course, is subject to change. Maybe a veteran stopgap they see as comparable to Garoppolo could come along, and they’d then be motivated to move him (I’m not sure who that would be). Maybe the rookie will arrive and blow everyone away over the summer, and the Niners will want to play him.
Breer later points out that San Francisco isn’t in a rush to move Garoppolo, especially with a roster that is good enough to contend for a Super Bowl. The Niners re-signed several key free agents, some of them to one-year deals, which indicates the front office believes they can win now.
Trading Garoppolo before or at the draft will put immense pressure on the incoming rookie to produce right away. By keeping Garoppolo, the rookie QB will have time to learn Shanahan’s system and develop his skills to get ready for the starting role in 2022.
But if a team offers a first-round selection for Jimmy G, it would be hard for Shanahan and Lynch to say no. They would be able to recoup one of the first-rounders they sent to the Dolphins and add another significant piece that can contribute both in the short and long term.
There are just so many possibilities that could happen between now and September. If the rookie QB comes in and lights it up at training camp, the 49ers would be much more open to trading Garoppolo then.
If Garoppolo outduels the rookie leading up to the season and leads the team to a deep playoff run or a Super Bowl title, San Francisco will be in a position to try and maximize the return in any trade next offseason.
With the roster constructed as is and the 49ers seeming confident they can win a championship next season, would you trade Garoppolo for a first or second-round pick before or at the draft?
