Before Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, NFL insider Ian Rapoport stated that, barring a Super Bowl run, the 49ers plan to trade veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason and usher in the Trey Lance era in 2022. Of course, none of this is a surprise. That has seemingly been the plan since San Francisco made Lance the No. 3 overall draft pick in April.
The report created a somewhat awkward situation after the 49ers' 34-26 win over the Vikings when one reporter asked Garoppolo if he heard about it.
"No, I didn't," Garoppolo said. "I was worried about the game, but I appreciate the heads up."
The response produced laughs in the media room, including from the 49ers quarterback. But, understandably, Rapoport's timing of the statement prompted the question.
Rapoport joined KNBR on Monday morning and explained the report's timing, indicating that he did not expect it to become newsworthy. He also probably didn't envision anyone asking Garoppolo about it in a post-game presser. Although, the insider admits that he appreciated the question.
"I know sometimes it does feel different on Sunday morning and the pre-game show," Rapoport said during his weekly interview on the Murph & Mac show. "And I get it, and that's cool, and some part of me likes that. But there are a couple of different 49ers reports where I go into it knowing that I'm going to say something obvious, so it's not a big deal. Like, sometimes, when I have bigger reports, I write up a big story or whatever. This wasn't that.
"I literally was just saying what is basically not only the fact but something that really has been a plan for the 49ers for a long time. And they are one of the most transparent organizations, so they've said it. They drafted Trey Lance to be the starter. [They said] Jimmy Garoppolo will start this year. He will hopefully play well, and I think now he's gone between playing well and managing the game, and helping this team win; somewhere in the middle of there.
"And then to get to the offseason, and similar to what the Kansas City Chiefs did with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes, trade him in the offseason. And Garoppolo playing well now makes [things] fantastic for the 49ers."
After the November 2 trade deadline, Garoppolo told reporters that the 49ers didn't discuss any potential moves to a new team with him.
"I mean, nothing really ever came up," Garoppolo said the day after the trade deadline. "I mean, I was aware of [the trade deadline], obviously, like everybody. I've been traded last second before, so I know how that goes. But yeah, nothing came up with that, and we're past it now."
There has been interest in the 49ers quarterback. There was a report by ESPN's Seth Wickersham that the New England Patriots inquired about exchanging a second-round pick for Garoppolo before the draft. Rapoport debunked that report in October. However, he stated that one team offered a third-round selection for the quarterback but didn't name the interested team.
"Obviously, they've had offers for Jimmy Garoppolo in the past," Rapoport said. "The most recent, I believe, was a third-rounder that they got [offered]. If he keeps playing like this, then they should be able to get more. I mean, they could actually end up getting back the second-rounder that they originally traded him for, which if you think about it, the second-rounder, plus all those years of service, plus a trip to the Super Bowl, that's really good value in a trade.
"So that was my point. I thought, honestly, it was mostly obvious. So to hear someone ask about the report, I think it's great. People should always ask about the report. But to me, it was very clear what the 49ers were doing."
Rapoport explains that so long as the 49ers send Garoppolo to a team that he likes and can be the starter, there will be no hard feelings between the two. The NFL insider speculates that potential landing spots that make sense include the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Rapoport below.