The San Francisco 49ers reportedly have an offer of two second-round draft picks on the table for Jimmy Garoppolo. Is that offer from the Indianapolis Colts? Bill Barnwell of ESPN predicts that to be the destination for the 49ers' starting quarterback of the past four-and-a-half seasons.
"I was tempted to say Nick Foles and reunite him with Frank Reich, but Garoppolo has proved to be a solid option when healthy in San Francisco," wrote Barnwell. "'When healthy' is doing a lot of work in that sentence, given Garoppolo's track record -- he started just 46 regular-season games in five seasons with the 49ers -- and the Colts are down two starters along their offensive line with Eric Fisher and Mark Glowinski both gone in free agency, but there are few teams that could offer Garoppolo a better chance of staying healthy than Indianapolis."
The Colts, with nearly $40 million in salary-cap space, could easily absorb Garoppolo's contract. The team recently traded Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders and needs a starter. Of course, the team is reportedly flirting with the idea of adding Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. We'll learn more about that on Monday.
Other potentially quarterback-needy teams are the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, and Seattle Seahawks. The Texans, however, might feel comfortable pushing forward with Davis Mills, and the Colts have an advantage over the three others.
"Trading Garoppolo to the Colts would allow the 49ers to deal Garoppolo to the other conference," wrote Barnwell. "They have the cap space to absorb Garoppolo's $27 million cap hit for 2022 without having to make any adjustments, although they might also choose to offer him an extension as part of this deal. He can be maddening at times, but he hasn't worn out his welcome in San Francisco in the same way Wentz did in Indianapolis. And now, after the trade with the Commanders, the Colts have a second-round pick to send the 49ers for their new starter."
One thing working in the 49ers' favor is that the incoming rookie quarterback class isn't viewed as a strong group. As a result, teams might be willing to add someone like Garoppolo, who can serve as a bridge quarterback until another passer with more potential becomes available.
H/t to Alek Arend of The Spun for the find