Louis Riddick recently praised the San Francisco 49ers' young quarterback, Trey Lance. The ESPN analyst believes the former No. 3 overall pick is capable of shocking many people and turning in an MVP-like season.
"I loved Trey Lance," Riddick said last week on ESPN. "... If he can clean up his decision-making and his accuracy, the kind of things that Kyle would be able to do to scheme people open with the use of the play-action pass ... he will be the best dual-threat quarterback in the NFL."
What about the quarterback that Lance will be replacing this season—Jimmy Garoppolo? Last week, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that several NFL insiders believe the 49ers' starter of the past four-and-a-half seasons will eventually be released. Of course, San Francisco would prefer to trade Garoppolo, but the trade partners have dwindled since the veteran quarterback opted to undergo shoulder surgery in March.
If the 49ers can't find a trade partner and don't want to be stuck with Garoppolo's over $25 million salary-cap hit in 2022, cutting the quarterback might be the only viable option. Of course, that would mean San Francisco won't have a say in Garoppolo's destination.
Riddick believes one remaining quarterback-needy team should jump at the opportunity to add Garoppolo, and it's likely the situation the 49ers would prefer to avoid.
"The 49ers are not gonna trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the Seattle Seahawks in the division," Riddick said last week, "but when they cut him, and it sounds like they will cut him eventually, I would be all over that. All over it if I'm the Seattle Seahawks.
"Why? ... That offense, very similar in terms of constructs, in terms of philosophy, that Kyle Shanahan runs out in San Francisco. That's an offense that's tailor-made for Jimmy G's style. A little bit run-centric, play-action-pass-centric, some quarterback movement. But don't get it twisted. Jimmy G's not a guy who's out on the perimeter, throwing the football that way.
"But this is a guy who, when he is on, and the running game is strong, and he's got protection, he can throw as pretty of a pass as anyone in the NFL. And with some of the weapons that they have out there, when you think of Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Noah Fant, two good running backs, just drafted two book-end offensive tackles, building up the defense, Jimmy G is like the piece they're missing.
"Seattle is setting the table for some quarterback in the next year or two ... Someone's going to inherit a football team that has quietly set themselves up. Jimmy G would be perfect, to me, for that. And if he becomes free, because they're not going to trade him to them, I'd be all over that like that, quickly."