Everyone is trying to predict where Jimmy Garoppolo will end up this offseason. This week, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback sounded like a man who knew his time with the Bay Area squad had come to an unceremonious end.
"I've got a long career ahead of me," Garoppolo told reporters in what was likely his last press conference as a Niner. "I'm excited about it. I'm excited about the opportunities to come. I just want to go to a place where they want to win. That's really what I'm in this game for."
If that's Garoppolo's criteria for his next team, FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd has a suggestion for a destination.
"I will say Pittsburgh feels right," Cowherd said on his show, The Herd. "Pittsburgh has averaged about nine-and-a-half wins over the last three years. That's with leading the NFL in sacks for five straight years, a Hall of Fame coach, always way-above-average receivers, and now a sensational rookie tight end.
"And they're winning about nine-and-a-half games a year. What does that tell you? Ben was really bad. So, I think Garoppolo today in Pittsburgh is a significant upgrade. Really, I do. Garoppolo is a significant upgrade today over Ben Roethlisberger.
"If you lead the NFL in sacks every year for half a decade, you have a Hall of Fame coach, you have really nice weapons, and I say they win about nine games [a year]."
Big Ben out. Jimmy G in?@ColinCowherd makes the case for Garoppolo to Pittsburgh... pic.twitter.com/lNWYVXnzSE
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 2, 2022
Cowherd believes Garoppolo could flourish in the AFC North, despite a representative from the division playing in the Super Bowl. Garoppolo is coming from a competitive NFC West, after all.
It's starting to sound like there might be some demand for Garoppolo. What might it take for the Steelers to outbid other interested teams? Cowherd doesn't believe San Francisco should necessarily focus on acquiring a draft pick for the veteran quarterback.
"I think Garoppolo to Pittsburgh," Cowherd continued. "You get Garoppolo over to the AFC; it's good for him. I'd absolutely sign him to a two-year deal, and if I was the Niners, [I tell the Steelers], 'Give me one of your corners. I don't want a draft pick. You give me a corner, and you can have Jimmy.'"