Rapoport on if 49ers can’t trade Jimmy Garoppolo: They have to let him compete

The San Francisco 49ers want to trade Jimmy Garoppolo. They hope to trade the veteran quarterback when he fully recovers from his March 8 shoulder surgery, which should be in about a month. Last night, general manager John Lynch, speaking at the "Dwight Clark Legacy Series" event, said he expects the trade conversations to resume once Garoppolo is healthy.

Everything points toward the 49ers wanting to ship Garoppolo to another team and second-year quarterback Trey Lance succeeding him. But what if San Francisco CAN'T trade Garoppolo? What if there are no takers? What do the 49ers do then?

The team has already stated that it is willing to hold onto Garoppolo through 2022, if necessary. The 49ers don't seem inclined to release the quarterback, receiving nothing in return and allowing him to potentially sign with the division-rival Seattle Seahawks—a real possibility in that scenario.

What if Garoppolo isn't traded?

"I would say they would like to trade him, but they don't have to," NFL insider Ian Rapoport said this week on the Rich Eisen Show. "And if Trey Lance isn't ready, and you have Garoppolo for [over] $20 million, and you can't trade him because he's not healthy enough in time to be traded, you've got to let him get out there and compete. What if he is the better quarterback?"

The problem with that scenario is if the 49ers allow Garoppolo on the practice field and he gets hurt, their salary-cap options are gone. Garoppolo's 2022 salary becomes guaranteed, and there would be no point in releasing the quarterback.

"No one dies if Trey Lance has to sit for another year," Rapoport continued. "It doesn't hurt anyone."

Eisen points out that Garoppolo playing games for the 49ers this season could hurt Lance's development. Last year's No. 3 overall pick started just two games last season, throwing 71 pass attempts throughout his rookie campaign. He needs experience.

"There's still lumps to be had," Eisen said. "The sooner you get them out of the way, the better it is long-term for everybody. Usually, that's the way it goes."

Rapoport counters that argument by sharing that the 49ers have a talented—perhaps championship-caliber—roster. That's something you don't want to waste either.

"Is it worth the long-term development of your quarterback to sacrifice that this year to have him learn on the fly?" Rapoport asked. "Or would you say [to Lance], 'You know what? You just spend another year learning. That's fine. We have Garoppolo, who literally took us to the playoffs last year and played in incredibly tough situations, including two injuries.' Just give it to Garoppolo again and figure it out after a year."