Analysis
8/13/22
3 min read
Browns and Jets Top Options for Jimmy Garoppolo Trade
The opportunity to trade Jimmy Garoppolo might never get better than right now.
After the San Francisco 49ers traded three first-round picks to move up and select quarterback Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL draft, the clock started on Garoppolo's time with the team. After nearly leading the 49ers back to the Super Bowl, Garoppolo had built his stock up, but an offseason shoulder surgery slowed down the timeline of a trade.
Lance played well during his preseason debut on Friday night and Garoppolo is listed as fourth on the 49ers' depth chart.
Due to issues in the quarterback room for both the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets, the leverage that the 49ers might have with Garoppolo is as high as it's going to get, according to Former NFL Executive and Founder of The 33rd Team Mike Tannenbaum.
"Depending on the severity of Zach Wilson’s injury," Tannenbaum said. "This could be the San Francisco 49ers' dream scenario. If Deshaun Watson’s suspension in increased to 12 or more games and Wilson misses a material amount of time, the 49ers could have a big market for Garoppolo."
Zach Wilson’s upcoming arthroscopic knee surgery is expected to determine whether he will miss closer to the two or the four weeks, per source. https://t.co/0I6IQxpLGK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2022
Things are still not certain with the young signal caller's immediate future and the Jets might be interested in a stop-gap.
Doctors also could find during surgery that Zach Wilson’s meniscus is worse than they thought and he could be sidelong longer. But for now, Jets feel fortunate and doctors are encouraged. https://t.co/OMv6Jpxhko
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2022
The 33rd Team's Head of Scouting TJ McCreight believes Garoppolo's best option may be the Browns, where Watson struggled in his preseason debut.
"The options for Jimmy Garoppolo are starting to come into focus," McCreight said. "My sources tell me that he is very close to being 100 percent and being ready to go. If I am Garoppolo, I am focused on the best roster that may need a quarterback- and to me that is the Cleveland Browns—that could be a good marriage, but it may not be his choice."
"With the injury to Wilson, now the Jets could come into play," McCreight added. "Head Coach Robert Saleh and Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur both know Garoppolo very well, and he should understand the verbiage and the concepts of the offense. Garoppolo may not be a Top 10 quarterback but he is certainly a solid starter that can win games for the Jets. I would be confident that the Jets would win more games with Garoppolo than they would with Wilson."
If the 49ers cannot trade Garoppolo, they would save $25.55 million on the salary cap by cutting him.
Tyler Forness contributed to this report
