When the 49ers shockingly traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo two weeks ago, most assumed it was an aggressive move by John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan to snatch the franchise’s QB of the future. Garoppolo may end up being that, but according to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, the situation is a little more complicated.
Schefter sent shockwaves with his report on Sunday that the 49ers are open to dealing the the fourth-year QB for a bundle of picks, and then either drafting a quarterback or pursuing one in free agency. Schefter clarified his report on Murph & Mac Thursday morning, explaining that while the 49ers aren’t necessarily looking to flip Garoppolo, they are not married to him as their QB of the future just yet.
“The idea is that they got Garoppolo as a placeholder at the quarterback position,” Schefter said. “In a perfect world they love what they see, and he loves what he sees and they live happily ever after and it’s not an issue. But, in the event that they think there is a better option out there, they at least have a quarterback chip so to speak, that they can move on.”
Schefter laid out a couple possible scenarios.
“Look, they traded for Garoppolo because they think he has a chance to be a really good quarterback, but what if they finish with the top pick in the draft, and they think Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen or Josh Allen is a can’t miss quarterback, and they want to go that route? Then what winds up happening is if they fall that much in love with a quarterback in the draft, they can always trade Garoppolo, and probably get back more than they gave up.
“Let’s say they decide they want to pursue a free agent quarterback that’s out there — and the list of quarterbacks out there this offseason could include the likes of Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, others — let’s say they want to go that route, ‘boy we think we’re better off with this quarterback,’ they could always get that guy and trade Garoppolo with the franchise tag.
“They traded for Garoppolo because they want him to be the guy, let’s be very clear about that. But it doesn’t preclude them from exploring the other quarterback options, figuring out what’s best for the team, and acting upon that. And that may or may not be Jimmy Garoppolo. I think they hope it will be, but it doesn’t assure that it will be.”
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Schefter’s comments on Garoppolo, start from the beginning.