With the August 30th cutdown date looming, it's becoming more realistic that the San Francisco 49ers will release quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The market for a trade is almost completely dried up, especially with teams understanding that the organization will likely move on in ten days.
NBC Sports' Peter King made an appearance on "49ers Talk" with insider Matt Maiocco and shared his beliefs that, if released, the veteran signal-caller should wait for an opportunity to present itself after being released rather than signing immediately, contrary to public opinion.
"If I were Jimmy Garoppolo and I got my release, I think there's a very good chance I might want to wait until some team out there has a crying need. Look, I'm not trying to be the devil here or anything, but a quarterback's going to get hurt and suffer significant injury, probably by the end of October."
Several quarterbacks have gotten injured for extended periods of time in recent seasons, with New Orleans quarterback Jameis Winston's ACL tear in 2021 as the most recent example, so King's theory could certainly pay dividends for Garoppolo if his ultimate goal is to be a starting quarterback on a playoff-caliber team.
However, an opening could arise with the Cleveland Browns, who recently learned that quarterback Deshaun Watson will be suspended for the first 11 games of the season, forcing them to move forward with Jacoby Brisset as their current starter.
While the Browns may have anticipated this move when signing Brissett in March, the veteran could serve as a cheap backup to Garoppolo, as the former Colt is set to make $4.65 million in 2022.
King likes the idea of a potential pairing between the Browns and Garoppolo, believing that the opportunity would be similar to the 30-year-old's tenure with the 49ers, as Cleveland has a strong defense and running game to complement their quarterback.
"It'll be a little bit like the team he just left," King said. "And so can you imagine if Jimmy Garoppolo goes to Cleveland, [Deshaun] Watson's suspended for the year, he at some point beats out Jacoby Brissett and there they are deep in the playoffs playing 10-7 football games?"
As of now, Garoppolo remains a 49er, likely until the final August 30th cutdown date, barring any unforeseen circumstances, meaning that the waiting game continues.
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
