Jimmy Garoppolo was expected to leave San Francisco last offseason, but an offseason shoulder injury complicated trade talks. He finally returned to the 49ers after agreeing to a restructured one-year deal.
After another injury-plagued season in the Bay Area, Garoppolo’s departure appears to be imminent. In February, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan stated emphatically that he couldn’t «see any scenario» in which Garoppolo would make the 2023 roster.
But when the veteran quarterback hits the free agent market next week at the start of the new NFL league year, he will likely have multiple suitors.
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Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Levi’s Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Raiders, Panthers and Texans are three of the teams that have expressed some interest in Garoppolo’s services.
Meanwhile, the 49ers seem content to start the 2023 season with quarterbacks Trey Lance and Brock Purdy. However, both signal callers are working to recover from major injuries.
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Swelling in Purdy’s right elbow forced doctors to delay surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. Purdy was originally scheduled to undergo surgery on February 22.
He is now scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday. The former seventh-round draft pick is expected to be able to begin a release program about three months after the operation. He likely won’t be considered fully recovered until about six months after the surgery is complete, putting his availability for the start of 2023 at risk.
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers calls for a play during the first half of a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca on November 21, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Sean M Haffey/Getty Images)
Lance, on the other hand, was named the Week 1 starter in 2022, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. The former first-round pick underwent a second operation in December and recently started pitching.
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Garoppolo stepped in after Lance with an ankle injury and led the Niners to some big wins. Unfortunately, the 31-year-old suffered his own injury, a broken left foot during the 49ers’ 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.
Las Vegas, Houston and Carolina need a quarterback. All three teams also have a top-10 pick in next month’s NFL Draft. If Garoppolo landed on one of those teams, he would be treated like a bridge quarterback.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers talk on the field before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 2, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-20. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Garoppolo went 7-3 as a starter and passed for 2,437 yards and 16 touchdowns against four interceptions before the season-ending injury.
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots when Garoppolo was Tom Brady’s backup.
Newly hired Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans spent the past two seasons as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator.
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The Panthers started Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and PJ Walker at quarterbacks over the course of the 2022 season. Carolina signed Frank Reich in January and has only one quarterback on the roster for 2023: the former Ole Miss standout Matt Corral.