Damon Bruce made it clear that he isn't high on Jimmy Garoppolo. If NFL general managers around the league feel the same way as the 95.7 The Game radio host, the San Francisco 49ers will have a troublesome time trying to trade their veteran quarterback.
Bruce didn't mince words, saying that other NFL teams should avoid Garoppolo, the 49ers' starting quarterback of the past four-and-a-half seasons. Why? Bruce feels Garoppolo is too expensive, too old, and too injury-plagued to be a desirable option for another NFL team.
"If I were another team's GM, I wouldn't come within an inch of Garoppolo. I don't care what he can do or what he has done for the 49ers. He's a little too expensive, too old, and too often injured to get into bed with."
- @DamonBruce on the Jimmy Garoppolo trade market. pic.twitter.com/kZt16DuzPb
— Damon & Ratto (@DamonAndRatto) March 18, 2022
Injuries have been a concern throughout Garoppolo's NFL career. He started the 2016 season in place of a suspended Tom Brady. That ended when Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in Week 2. In 2018 with the Niners, a torn ACL in Week 3 ended his season. In 2020, Garoppolo appeared in just six games due to a high-ankle sprain. He played through thumb and shoulder injuries in the 49ers' playoff run this past season.
While the injuries appear to be a valid concern, Garoppolo, at age 30, is just a year older than Carson Wentz, who the Indianapolis Colts traded to the Washington Commanders. He is the same age as Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Garoppolo's salary cap hit is also less than Wentz, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, and Ryan Tannehill. Plus, being in the final year of his contract, a team could lower his cap hit by negotiating an extension, making Garoppolo an excellent short-term answer for a team still looking to find its quarterback of the future.
No one argues that Garoppolo deserves to be named among the NFL's elite passers. However, he is clearly a good leader and locker room presence based on his time with the 49ers and the support from his teammates.
"Look, in Jimmy, they know this is a guy who, maybe while not elite, has gone to two NFC Championship games, one Super Bowl," NFL Media's Jim Trotter recently commented. "He is a guy, if you believe in the quarterback win percentage, he's 37-16, including the playoffs, as a starter. That's nearly a 70 percent win rate. So from that standpoint, they feel they have a valuable asset here that they can get something in return for."
H/t to Rohan Chakravarthi for the find.
