Where will Jimmy Garoppolo land? Why Colts reportedly passed on QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NFL’s game of quarterback musical chairs is almost over, and Jimmy Garoppolo still can’t find a seat.
The San Francisco 49ers seem committed to starting Trey Lance at QB in 2022 and are determined to trade Garoppolo this offseason. But they haven’t found any takers so far, and a potential suitor went off the board Monday when the Indianapolis Colts traded for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
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According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Colts considered Garoppolo as an option but were scared off by his shoulder injury.
So why didn’t the Colts go after Jimmy G?
Form what I was told, there were concerns over the shoulder injury. Not so much the medical side of it but the idea of missing time in the offseason with a new team. This was a red flag.— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) March 21, 2022
Garoppolo underwent surgery on his right shoulder earlier this month and likely won’t be able to throw until late June or early July, 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters recently. That means he’d be sidelined for all of OTAs and minicamp for any new team that he joins, which would make it more difficult for him to get up to speed.
For all of his injury history, though (Garoppolo also tore a ligament in his right thumb in Week 16), the 30-year-old is still a starting-caliber NFL quarterback when healthy. So, which team might take a chance on the former New England Patriots draft pick?
After a flurry of moves in recent days, here’s a list of teams that could be in the market for a QB, with their current projected starter in parentheses:
That’s a pretty short list. (You could argue Garoppolo is an upgrade over Mitchell Trubisky in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers probably wouldn’t give up assets to acquire Garoppolo after just signing Trubisky.)
Baker Mayfield is another prime trade candidate following the Cleveland Browns‘ acquisition of Deshaun Watson. So, Garoppolo and Mayfield essentially are “competing” for three jobs.
It’s hard to imagine the 49ers trading Garoppolo in-division to the Seahawks. So, the two most likely options are the Texans — led by general manager Nick Caserio, who was in the Patriots front office that drafted Garoppolo in 2014 — and the Panthers, who could move Darnold in a deal for Jimmy G.
The Patriots wouldn’t face Garoppolo in 2022 in either of these scenarios, but we wouldn’t mind Jimmy G going to Carolina, where he’d face old friend Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice next season in the NFC South.