49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has stated in a end-of-season press conference that he does not envision a scenario where Jimmy Garoppolo returns to the team. With that in mind, here are three possible landing spots for Garoppolo as he becomes a free agent.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders benched Derek Carr going into the last few weeks of the season for monetary reasons. If he could not pass a physical at the end of the season, Carr would receive guaranteed money that would hamstring the team cap-wise. This would’ve made him harder to cut or trade.
It is an inevitability that Carr leaves the team, which leaves an opening at quarterback that backup Jarrett Stidham probably can’t fill. Garoppolo is a similar quarterback to Vegas’ previous franchise guy, trading some of the flashy arm strength for a bit more game-managing conservative playstyle.
The offense is ready to win now with Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs (if he returns to the Raiders after an eye-popping contract year). The offensive line isn’t top-tier, but, with some tweaking, could be fixed.
It may seem like a lateral move, but Garoppolo might be cheaper, which is what Vegas probably needs at this stage to help fix the defense. As long as he finds Adams with regularity, this pairing would be just fine.
New York Jets
The Jets need stability at quarterback. They tried four different players last season; Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White and Chris Streveler. None of them could will them to the playoffs after a great start to the season.
Wilson may be a bust, Flacco is well past his prime and White and Streveler seem to be stop-gaps with flashes of talent. Garoppolo is the kind of quarterback that will give a team a chance to win more often than not. There are definitely some head-scratching plays on his resume, but the Jets will take those over the constant turnovers and lack of chemistry with receivers that Wilson displays.
This signing isn’t overly impressive and may not result in a Super Bowl appearance right away, but it would tentatively pencil them into the playoffs next season. As long as the chemistry is there with the receiving core, this works. A strictly locker room guy works in this position.
Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith was all but forgotten up in Seattle, deemed a bust by many. He had a huge resurgence this year, leading the Seahawks to the playoffs while playing better than most believed was possible, given his body of work in the NFL.
With that being said, Smith is going to want to turn that year into a huge payday. Seattle is a young team that does not need a huge albatross of a contract hanging over them. Especially a contract for a player who had one good season.
Garoppolo may cost just as much money (or less, depending), but his resume is a lot longer, and moderately impressive. He has a Super Bowl appearance as a starter, two rings and experience as a backup under Brady, and as has been stated a few times above, can game-manage a team to some solid wins. This move makes sense as Seattle tries to get younger at skill positions and recapture the Legion of Boom days.
Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including midseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
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