Why Rapoport would be ‘surprised’ if 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo lands with Seahawks

Peter King isn't the only one who believes it might be in Jimmy Garoppolo's best interest not to rush to the Seattle Seahawks if the San Francisco 49ers release him. NFL insider Ian Rapoport told Pat McAfee that he'd be "surprised" if the veteran quarterback ended up in the Pacific Northwest (h/t TheSFNiners).

"[I would] wait," King wrote in his recent column for NBC Sports. "I get fully healthy and sign with a team when there's a quarterback injury. ... Waiting allows Garoppolo to be choosy and maybe to get very lucky if the team with an injury is a strong playoff team."

Rapoport's reasoning is similar to King's. The Seahawks aren't expected to be competitive this season, so Garoppolo might be best served by being patient and seeing if a better option eventually presents itself.

"I would be surprised if he ended up in Seattle under any circumstances ... whether released or traded," Rapoport said. "If they release him, I don't know that Seattle would be the spot that he would end up because if he's released, I don't know where Seattle's going to be, but I think it's fair to say there's some questions about the roster; certainly very young, a lot of unproven guys, and I don't know how good they're going to be.

"If you're Jimmy G, and you get released, might it make sense to just say, 'You know what? I'm going to wait for a contender.' And I have not even gotten the sense that Seattle is [interested in] him either. I've been surprised before. This is not totally definitive, but I would be surprised if he ended up in Seattle."

That might be music to the 49ers' ears. NBC Sports Bay Area insider Matt Maiocco recently reported that, inside the building, the Niners believe Garoppolo will end up with the Seahawks, if released. This morning, Jordan Schultz reported that general manager John Lynch prefers Garoppolo doesn't land with the division rival.

The 49ers and Seahawks are scheduled to face each other in Week 2 and Week 15.