News that Jimmy Garoppolo would undergo shoulder surgery seemingly threw a wrench into the trade plans for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback—until it didn't matter. With Aaron Rodgers remaining with the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, Garoppolo is now the most eligible trade-market signal-caller.
The good news is that everything reportedly went well with the surgery, which took place on Tuesday, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Garoppolo isn't expected to throw for about 16 weeks as he recovers from the procedure.
"The plan and hope is Garoppolo is throwing well ahead of training camp," Garafolo wrote. "Only question is which team's camp it'll be."
#49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo underwent shoulder surgery today, sources say. All went as expected (i.e. "successful surgery"). The plan and hope is Garoppolo is throwing well ahead of training camp. Only question is which team's camp it'll be.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 8, 2022
Most expect the 49ers to trade Garoppolo, possibly before the start of the new league year on March 16. Freeing up his $25.5 million due will allow San Francisco to retain some of its own key players, extend some young talent, like Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa, and be more aggressive in free agency.
While no one expects the 49ers to hold onto Garoppolo in 2022, general manager John Lynch said at the NFL Scouting Combine that the team has planned for that scenario—if the situation calls for it. Although, he admits that keeping Garoppolo and last year's No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, would likely lead to a quarterback competition this offseason.
"If we have the two of them again, and let them go compete, then we're happy to do that as well," Lynch said. "And we're capable of doing that with our cap."
Garoppolo has been with the 49ers since a mid-season trade in 2017. He is 31-14 as a starter in the regular season since coming over from the New England Patriots.