Unless he finds a way to return during the postseason—perhaps serving as Brock Purdy's backup—we've probably seen the last of Jimmy Garoppolo in a San Francisco 49ers uniform. The quarterback is expected to be a hot free-agent commodity during the upcoming offseason.
Garoppolo is recovering from the broken foot he sustained on December 4 against the Miami Dolphins. The veteran quarterback was having a career season before the setback, guiding the 49ers to a four-game win streak. The win streak has been extended to nine games, with rookie Brock Purdy helming the offense the last five games.
Garoppolo would be a luxury for the 49ers at this point. They have Purdy playing well and gaining valuable experience. San Francisco also has last year's No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, which should make for an interesting offseason.
As for Garoppolo, the quarterback should be able to cash in during the upcoming offseason. The 49ers cannot franchise him and are unlikely to compete with other teams to keep him.
"I think he definitely would have had suitors this [past] offseason had he not been recovering from major surgery," NFL insider Ian Rapoport said Monday morning on KNBR, speaking with Dieter Kurtenbach. "... I think he's going to do really well. I think he's going to have a lot of options. I think he's going to have a lot of teams that are interested."
Could there be a reunion with Mike McDaniels in Miami?
"The Dolphins, I don't know, because I think everybody sort of thinks about the [QB] Tua [Tagovailoa] health situation," Rapoport responded. "We don't know enough right now to know what direction that's going to go or what it even means, honestly."
Even if the Dolphins lack interest, the NFL insider believes there will be several suitors.
"Just looking out now, you have the maybe the Raiders, maybe the Jets, maybe the Titans," Rapoport said. "What if they (the Titans) move on from Ryan Tannehill? Those are just three off the top of my head. And if you're in free agency, and you're a good free agent, and you have [offers] from two teams, then you're doing exceptionally well."
Rapoport added, "I think Garoppolo's going to be in a really good spot."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Rapoport below.