March 16. That's when everyone expected Jimmy Garoppolo to be off the San Francisco 49ers roster and the team's budget. The media expected it. The fans expected it. It sounds like the 49ers expected it too.
Things took a wild turn this offseason. Several quarterbacks have changed teams. Not Garoppolo, though. At least, not yet. After saying his farewells after the season, the veteran quarterback remains on the team. What went wrong?
The biggest factor was probably Garoppolo undergoing shoulder surgery on March 8 to repair the damage suffered during the team's Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. No team is anxious to trade for a quarterback who will miss much of the offseason and won't even throw until July.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated's The MMQB, the initial plan was to wait until the dust settled with the bigger-named quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Deshaun Watson, and then make a deal.
Now, the 49ers appear stuck in what could become an awkward situation if the team cannot get rid of Garoppolo. Last year's No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, is expected to be the starting quarterback in 2022. Yet, Garoppolo is set to earn over $25 million in the final year of his contract. So what happens if he is still on the roster in late August?
"And I also don't believe the Niners are going to give him away," Breer wrote. "The belief, as we've said, was two second-round picks would get it done. My guess is, given the climate now, that would be negotiable. But keeping Garoppolo wouldn't be impossible for the Niners, either."
The 49ers may have been caught off guard by the news that Garoppolo would undergo surgery, limiting his trade value. The team may have also overestimated the potential return they could get for the often-injured quarterback. Now, they will probably have to await an unexpected development elsewhere—an surprise quarterback injury or retirement that will send a team into panic mode. And they'll probably have to settle for less of a return for Garoppolo.
Meanwhile, in Santa Clara, the 49ers are preparing for their quarterback transition.
"My expectation is the offense the Niners build for Trey Lance because of where he is in his development and what his strengths are will look pretty different," Breer continued, "and Garoppolo being out for the spring gives both the team and Lance the chance to work on that. And if it doesn't work? Having Garoppolo around as insurance wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
"It's not the conclusion that the player or the team wanted, but I don't think it's impossible that's what will end up happening if the right offer doesn't come along."
NFL Media's Tom Pelissero also believes Garoppolo remaining with the 49ers in 2022 isn't unthinkable.
"My understanding is there is certainly a scenario, and perhaps one that grows by the day, in which Jimmy Garoppolo potentially could even be in a situation where he competes with the 49ers on his current contract," Pelissero said on NFL Network, "maybe on an adjusted contract, comes back and competes with Trey Lance, simply because there aren't a lot of spots at this point for him to be traded to."
General manager John Lynch, speaking with 49ers reporters on Monday from the NFL owners meetings, admitted that the Garoppolo situation remains fluid, and the team is prepared to adapt.
"Most of our options did not include Jimmy on our books, on our team," Lynch said via the San Francisco Chronicle. "But you always have to adapt, and a series of events happened that it didn't work out. But that's not a bad thing, though. We feel positive with it. And we'll make it work."
