The San Francisco 49ers may not have a lot of trade options when it comes to their veteran quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. His March 8 shoulder surgery and ensuing recovery have created a lack of interest. However, Garoppolo has been throwing for two to three weeks now, per multiple reports. That's good news for the 49ers, who still hope to trade the 30-year-old.
While some doubt there will be decent interest, one NFL quarterback turned CBS NFL color analyst believes the interest in Garoppolo will start to heat up once he is healthy.
"The biggest thing is he's got to get healthy, his shoulder injury," Tony Romo told The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday (h/t Sports Illustrated). "When he gets healthy, you'll see teams coming in. Right now, the Niners, I think, are staying pat because the sooner a quarterback gets injured in preseason or in camp—something usually happens where someone gets banged up a little bit—I think you'll see that will be where someone with value will go up, and the Niners will get more value than they're getting right now. And I think that's when they're going to pull the trigger on that."
Right now, most quarterback rooms are set. There are exceptions. The Seattle Seahawks are in a tough situation with Drew Lock or Geno Smith at the top of their quarterback depth chart. Of course, doing a division rival any favors isn't ideal.
"I could see that [happening]," Romo said, "but it's usually rare because you'd have to be getting a lot more for that. You know this person knows your team, inside and out, and you don't want, necessarily, someone else in the division to have that kind of information or that talent and that ability.
"... If [the 49ers] view [Garoppolo] as a really talented guy but think Trey's just a little bit more talented, they probably won't do that and trade him within the division. But if they view him not at that level, then that will be different."
The Cleveland Browns await the fate of their offseason prize, the talented but legally-troubled quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Houston Texans might be content to enter the season with Davis Mills under center—but you never know.
And as Romo points out, something could change throughout NFL training camps and the preseason.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Romo below.
Comments