As expected, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will undergo surgery on the torn ligament in his right thumb this offseason. While most expect Garoppolo to be playing elsewhere next season, nothing is certain at this point. The veteran quarterback still has a year remaining on his contract, but the 49ers aren't limited by a no-trade clause anymore, which means there are few barriers in offloading him.
Whether it's more noteworthy for the 49ers or potentially another future NFL home, Garoppolo is expected to have surgery soon.
"Well, the number one most important thing for Jimmy Garoppolo is to get healthy," NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network. "It has been a lot. It's the thumb, it's the shoulder. It sounded like every single time he threw the ball, it was pain in his thumb, a torn ligament.
"He's expected to have surgery, really, as soon as it can be scheduled, to begin the healing process. Probably, you're looking at about 4-6 weeks of recovery. [He'll] recover long [before] the [2022] season, but as far as when the actual trade will be, teams may want to wait until they are 100 percent sure that he is fine following surgery."
From NFL Now: First order of business for Jimmy G is surgery. Then it's the future. pic.twitter.com/oaUaQElfBJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2022
Rapoport still seems to believe that Garoppolo will have good trade value. Maybe not the "significant haul" he once predicted, but Garoppolo's deep playoff run and winning record could be enticing to a quarterback-needy organization, especially with what many consider to be a down year for incoming rookie quarterbacks.
"The likelihood is that Jimmy Garoppolo has played his last down with the San Francisco 49ers, and this is the best-case scenario for everyone," Rapoport added. "For the 49ers, he played well, he took them deep into the playoffs, this is a guy whose stock is probably as high as it's been. And for Garoppolo, of course, they drafted his successor last year, so he knew he was on the way out.
"He now could be instrumental in helping pick where he goes because he is likely going to need a new contract wherever he goes. So I'm sure both sides can come together and come to a solution that everybody will be happy with."