Believe it or not, Jimmy Garoppolo’s time with the 49ers seems to be officially over.
Yes, yes, we did this last year. However, it’s hard to argue that 2023 isn’t different. Garoppolo is out of a contract and the 49ers have two young quarterbacks — one who was excellent last season — returning. What’s more, Garoppolo is expected to have a robust market, and could cost upwards of $30 million. Finally, Kyle Shanahan was fairly definitive that Jimmy wouldn’t be back, and reportedly had a bit of a rift with the QB at the end of the season.
So with Jimmy G finally leaving the Bay, where could he end up? NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport gave his take when he joined KNBR on Tuesday, saying he believes a number of quality teams will be vying for his services.
“I would say for the Jets, like a lot of teams, Aaron Rodgers is going to be the first option,” Rapoport began. “If [Rodgers] decides that he wants to go to the Jets, they’ll certainly be his number one.
“There are going to be some other really good teams that are interested in Jimmy. I would say the Bucs would be, although I don’t know if they have the money. The Panthers, the Titans, maybe the Raiders if they decide to spend on a quarterback. Although, Jarrett Stidham was pretty good, so if the options are Jimmy Garoppolo for $30 million or Jarrett Stidham, that’s actually an interesting discussion ’cause you can use the money elsewhere.”
The 49ers are scheduled to face only one of those teams — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — next season which would be a very interesting story if Garoppolo is at the helm. Jimmy G was long seen as Tom Brady’s successor in New England, and the prospect of replacing him with the Bucs is a funny twist. What’s more, that game is scheduled to be played at Levi’s Stadium, so it would serve as a homecoming for Garoppolo, who was injured in the game before the 49ers played Tampa this season.
“I would say after Derek Carr and Rodgers, Jimmy is the next guy,” Rapoport concluded, “and I think he’s going to do very well in free agency.”
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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