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The question that has loomed over this season is what the 49ers’ future is at the quarterback position. Yes, they have a plethora of pending free agents and limited cap space, but deciding whether they keep Jimmy Garoppolo or move onto a veteran or a rookie is the defining decision for this offseason.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a look at some potential trade scenarios for this offseason. One of them involved the New York Jets and 49ers. This scenario presumes that the Jets stick with Sam Darnold and look into trading down from the No. 2 spot, which, as of the time of writing this, is very likely (pending a Jets win over the Browns and a Jacksonville Jaguars loss to the Chicago Bears).
The move, as Barnwell sees it, is as follows, and it costs the 49ers their first-round picks in each of the next two seasons.
49ers receive: 2021 1st-round pick (No. 2 overall), 2021 4th-round pick
Jets receive: 2021 1st-round pick (No. 14 overall), 2021 2nd-round pick (46th overall), 2022 1st-round pick, 2022 3rd-round pick, Jalen Hurd
The logic for the Jets is clear. They don’t love any quarterback after Trevor Lawrence and get a king’s ransom for sliding back.
“For the 49ers, this would be a deal they would make if they fell in love with one of the other quarterbacks in this class — Justin Fields, Zach Wilson or Trey Lance. General manager John Lynch would be beating out teams like the Panthers, who could draft a signal-caller at No. 4, or the Broncos and Bears, who could try to trade up. The 49ers could rightfully suggest that a stable, solid quarterback is all they need to make it back to the Super Bowl. Going with a cheaper option under center would free up $20 million or so in cap space, which would allow the Niners to retain more of their pending free agents, a group that includes left tackle Trent Williams and defensive backs Jaquiski Tartt, and Richard Sherman.”
The corresponding move is the 49ers trading Jimmy Garoppolo to the Patriots for a 2021 fifth-round pick.
“The Niners get a draft pick in lieu of cutting Garoppolo, and the Eastern Illinois product reunites in the other conference with a coaching staff desperately in need of a long-term option. This is an easy victory.”