Post-trade salary cap hits of Rodgers, Watson, Stafford

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo carries a salary-cap hit of nearly $27 million, according to OverTheCap.com. The team would absorb $2.8 million in dead money should it part ways with Garoppolo.

There has been a lot of fan discussion surrounding other quarterbacks' salaries, should the 49ers look to upgrade the position. For example, Aaron Rodgers is slated to count $37 million against Green Bay's salary cap in 2021. However, in a hypothetical situation in which the Packers trade Rodgers, that doesn't necessarily mean his new team will have to pick up the entire tab.

David Lombardi of The Athletic recently broke down the trade-scenarios for the three big names dominating NFL news wires and the salary-cap implications for any team seeking to acquire one of them. It would seem that all three would offer the 49ers some savings compared to Garoppolo's upcoming salary.

That could be significant in any decision the 49ers make this offseason. The team was already expected to be pushed up against the salary cap, with nearly 40 players playing on the final year of their contracts this past season. The pandemic's impact and the expected drop of the salary cap have created a challenging situation for general manager John Lynch and company, who seek a way to keep the team together.

Using Rodgers as his first example, Lombardi points out that any new team wouldn't be on the hook for $14.4 million of the quarterback's prorated bonus, creating a manageable cap hit of about $22.7 million for the future Hall of Famer.

As for Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford, Lombardi was kind enough to provide the same post-trade salary-cap breakdowns. Watson would cost a new team $10.5 million, an absolute bargain for an elite passer. That makes him the most intriguing option of the three, assuming the 49ers are interested and can put together a tempting enough offer.

"Teams like the 49ers that are up against [the salary cap], that's an opportunity that you salivate at," Lombardi told Mark Willard on Monday during a KNBR interview. "A chance to lower your cap hit at the quarterback position by about $15 million, going down to $10 million for Deshaun Watson, that allows you to build a team around him and go for a Super Bowl win in the short term while that roster is still capable, while that roster is still in the championship window."

According to Lombardi, the more experienced Stafford would cost nearly twice the amount of Watson — about $20 million.

Lombardi added on KNBR that any draft capital surrendered for one of these quarterbacks could be partially offset by whatever the 49ers might gain in a potential trade for Garoppolo, assuming the team can convince him to approve a trade. He has a no-trade clause for this year within his contract.

You can listen to the entire KNBR conversation with Lombardi below.