As expected, Jimmy Garoppolo will remain away from the San Francisco 49ers as he continues rehabbing his throwing shoulder. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed that the quarterback would remain off-site, per his surgeon's instructions. The 49ers report to the team's offseason program today.
"Garoppolo and the team are on the same page with that continuing and he won't be there when their offseason conditioning program starts today," wrote Rapoport.
#49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo has been rehabbing his throwing shoulder off-site, per his surgeon's instructions. Garoppolo and the team are on the same page with that continuing and he won't be there when their offseason conditioning program starts today, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2022
Garoppolo underwent shoulder surgery on March 8 and will not be able to throw until closer to training camp. That has stalled trade discussions to the point where many wonder if the 49ers will be able to offload the quarterback this offseason. Many of the quarterback-needy teams have already made moves to acquire new passers, while the others may look toward next week's draft to do so, leaving nowhere for Garoppolo to go.
"Any time anyone gets surgery, especially on their throwing shoulder, teams are going to be a little more nervous on what they want to offer and things like that," head coach Kyle Shanahan said last month.
San Francisco still intends to trade the veteran quarterback, transitioning to second-year quarterback Trey Lance as the starter. But, right now, the team has no intention of releasing Garoppolo just to free up the over $25 million he is due to earn in 2022.
"We can't upgrade our team and get some good picks until people feel good about [Garoppolo's recovery]," Shanahan added. "I'm all right with that. I mean, we're not just getting rid of him to get rid of him. Jimmy's a good player that we all really like as a person and as a teammate. And we're going to wait to see whatever helps the Niners the most."
In the meantime, Lance will receive the bulk of the work in the quarterback room and once the team returns to the practice field. However, he may be without one of his best offensive weapons. On Monday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that wide receiver Deebo Samuel would skip at least the voluntary portion of the team's offseason program, saying he isn't expected to participate in any "on-field" activities.
That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Samuel awaits a contract extension and is unlikely to return to the team until that situation is resolved. The 49ers don't have a mandatory minicamp until June 13. It lasts three days.