On Tuesday, Adam Schefter reported that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is receiving significant interest ahead of the NFL Combine, despite the fact that he will require surgery for a shoulder injury he suffered against the Dallas Cowboys in the wildcard round of the playoffs this past season.
Earlier today, I wrote about five "realistic" destinations that the veteran quarterback could land in 2022. But, along with those teams, there are a few teams that can be considered "quarterback-needy", but shouldn't be considered as realistic trade candidates for Garoppolo.
3. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are looking to move on from Carson Wentz, as the league-wide expectation is the former Eagles quarterback will be traded or cut before the entirety of his contract is guaranteed on March 18th.
However, after trading significant draft capital to acquire Wentz, a first-rounder and a third-rounder last offseason, and failing to see the productivity they desired, Indianapolis will be less inclined to go after a quarterback in a similar situation.
In addition, Wentz objectively had a very similar statistical season to Garoppolo, throwing for 3,562 yards, while maintaining a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 27:7, although he completed just 62.4% of his passes.
For reference, Garoppolo threw for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, while completing 68.3% of his passes in San Francisco's quarterback-friendly offense.
Wentz carries a cap hit of $28.2 million for 2022, while moving on from him would cost the Colts $15 million in dead money, per Spotrac. Jimmy Garoppolo carries a cap hit of $26.9 million for 2022.
It doesn't make sense for the Colts to move on from Wentz for minimal compensation, only to trade more draft capital to acquire yet another average quarterback with a large contract after their original experiment failed.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs as the seventh seed in Jalen Hurts' first full year as a starter, inching in as the second Wild Card team alongside the 49ers, before losing 31-15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round.
While reports surfaced earlier this offseason that the Eagles were interested in Garoppolo, the idea of trading for an older, more expensive option seems unrealistic, especially given that Philadelphia used a second-round pick to draft Hurts as their future at the position.
Hurts threw for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while completing 61.3% of his passes in 2021.
Pairing Hurts with a stronger receiver group could improve his accuracy issues. However, if the Eagles trade for Garoppolo, they'll lose valuable draft capital that could improve their offensive arsenal alongside Devonta Smith, although they do currently have three first-round picks.
Was Hurts objectively better than Garoppolo in 2021? No. But, he provides more upside at an astronomically cheaper cost, allowing the Eagles, who are a run-first offense, to build a competent roster around the quarterback.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Regarding the Buccaneers, schematically, it just doesn't make sense.
During the entirety of the Bruce Arians era, he's preferred quarterbacks with the ability to throw down the field. Back in Indianapolis, he had Andrew Luck. During his Arizona days, he had Carson Palmer. And since he's been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, he's had Jameis Winston and Tom Brady.
What do all of those quarterbacks have in common? A tendency to throw the ball down the field. Brady led the league in air yards per attempt at 9.1 in 2020, while finishing in the top ten for 2021. In 2019, during Arians' first year as Tampa Bay's head coach, Winston was second in the NFL in air yards per attempt at 10.4.
Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't fit that bill, preferring to target the short and intermediate areas of the field, as evident by his 7.5 air yards per attempt, which ranked 22nd in the NFL in 2021.
In 2019, during Jimmy Garoppolo's other full campaign as an NFL starting quarterback, that number was even worse, as the veteran threw for 6.5 air yards per attempt, which was second to last in the NFL.
Stylistically, Garoppolo isn't a good fit with the Buccaneers, not to mention their cap situation as they have to retain a number of key pieces like star receiver Chris Godwin.
Financially and schematically, Garoppolo doesn't make sense in Bruce Arians' system.