The Jimmy Garoppolo trade sweepstakes never took place this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they are over.
That’s according to NFL analyst Andrew Brandt, who says that it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” Garoppolo is moved now that he’s on a cheaper deal.
“He was never going to make $24 million with them or any other team, so he goes down to $6.5 million, he’s got a bunch of incentives he’ll never hit unless Lance gets injured, and here we are,” Brandt said on KNBR. “But here’s the thing guys, and I don’t think this is any Earth-shattering news, I don’t think he’s going to be there.
“I think now he’s got a much more palatable contract to trade, and I think he’ll be traded. The question is when and where? I mean, he may not get traded soon but he will be traded. That’s the end game.”
Brandt’s logic makes sense. By the time Garoppolo had recovered from his shoulder surgery, there wasn’t a team enough in need of a quarterback to justify taking on Garoppolo’s large salary. Now that he can be signed for cheap, it would stand to reason that if a starting quarterback goes down due to injury, Garoppolo would be an enticing option. It also stands to reason that Garoppolo would be willing to waive his no trade clause for a starting job.
Interestingly, Brandt doesn’t believe the 49ers’ party line that there was a robust market for Garoppolo before his surgery.
“My first reaction is man, there’s really no trade market for Jimmy G,” Brandt continued. “The guy led them to a championship game, a Super Bowl, the guy has been successful. Whatever the reason, there was no market for Jimmy G. Baker Mayfield got traded, Drew Lock got traded. I don’t know what the reason is, but there was no market and he’s been on the market for six months. So no one wanted Jimmy G.”
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