File this under "It doesn't matter now ... or does it?"
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Rams and Jimmy Garoppolo had the "makings of a deal" had the San Francisco 49ers released the quarterback.
"Garoppolo and the Rams had the makings of a deal if he was released by the Niners, who were unaware that the defending Super Bowl champions were looking into signing him, according to sources," wrote Schefter.
Garoppolo and San Francisco agreed to a restructured one-year deal on August 29, keeping the quarterback under contract through this season. The 49ers admitted that they likely would have released Garoppolo if that didn't happen.
"I mean, he was on a $24 million contract, and he was going to go somewhere else," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on August 30. "But none of that came into fruition, which we would have ended up having to let him go under that current deal. [Keeping him under the old deal] wasn't an option."
Schefter's news is only interesting because one has to wonder where tampering begins, a road that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk gladly went down.
The 49ers granted Garoppolo and his representatives permission to seek a trade but not necessarily consent to discuss potential deals should he be released. San Francisco wanted something in return for the quarterback, and allowing him to walk for free to a division rival probably wasn't ideal.
The Seattle Seahawks were widely assumed to be ready to pounce should Garoppolo hit the open market, a scenario that NBC Sports Bay Area reported as likely in the 49ers' eyes.
The real question is: Exactly how much free rein did the 49ers give Garoppolo and his agents in their dealings with other teams?
As for the Rams and Garoppolo, the 49ers didn't know about that until later.
"The 49ers didn't learn about the Rams' interest until after they agreed with Garoppolo on a one-year deal worth up to $16 million, sources said," Schefter continued.
Schefter is reportedly speaking with members inside the 49ers organization, quoting one insider on the situation.
"It was going to be such a Rams move to make," a member of the 49ers organization told ESPN. "Sean McVay and Kevin Demoff would have been basking in it."