The San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation is one of the most interesting stories this offseason. In 2021, the Niners traded three first round picks to the Dolphins to move up to No. 3 in the draft in order to take Trey Lance. A huge haul to give up but one the Niners deemed worth it so they could get their franchise quarterback of the future. Then, last season there was the emergence of 2022 draft pick number 262, Mr Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, who took San Francisco all the way to the NFC Championship game. Two young quarterbacks in San Francisco fighting it out to lead the franchise. The odd man out in this battle is Jimmy Garoppolo, the man who has been with the Niners since 2017 and took them to Superbowl LIV. He will now be entering free agency and searching for a new team for 2023 so, where could he end up?

It makes a lot of sense for Jimmy Garoppolo to be the new QB in Las Vegas for 2023. Before his retirement, Tom Brady was strongly linked to the Raiders due to his relationship with head coach Josh McDaniels but, arguably, McDaniels’ relationship with Garoppolo is a closer one. McDaniels was the offensive coordinator in New England when Garoppolo was drafted in 2014 and although he was mainly a back-up behind Tom Brady, the two men were close. When he was traded to the Niners in 2017, McDaniels was disappointed to see him leave. He was quoted as saying, “That’s the hardest part of our job…You had a guy in your room that you really enjoy being around, that you coach, that you spent a lot of time learning and helping grow, that you saw mature and improve through the course of time, and now he’s not here…I wish him nothing but the best. I really, really think a lot of this guy.” Now, with Garoppolo entering free agency, McDaniels has a chance to be reunited with him.

Las Vegas are on the hunt for a new quarterback after the release of Derek Carr. McDaniels’ offensive scheme can be a difficult one for quarterbacks to learn, and Carr struggled with it last year, so it is important that whatever quarterback the Raiders bring in can get to grips with it. Garoppolo knows it better than most after his time with McDaniels in New England and he could slide into this offense almost seamlessly. It is a scheme that suits him too. Garoppolo may have only had two games as a starter in New England, during Tom Brady’s deflategate suspension, but he performed very well against the Falcons and the Dolphins, throwing for 496 yards and 4 touchdowns. With Davante Adams, Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow and Josh Jacobs on this roster, the Raiders just need a quarterback who can get the most out of the offensive talent around him and Garoppolo can be this man. He did a similar job in San Francisco, allowing the skill position players around him to flourish and he was very well liked in that locker room. He knows how to win games too, as his impressive 40-17 record as a starter in the NFL shows. Garoppolo could get the Raiders challenging in the AFC West again.

Another head coach that knows Garoppolo well is the new one in Houston, DeMeco Ryans. He was on the coaching staff in San Francisco when Garoppolo joined in 2017 and now they are both leaving the Niners in the same offseason. Garoppolo also has close links with Texans GM Nick Caserio, the New England Patriots’ director of player personnel when the quarterback was selected in Round 2 of the 2014 NFL draft, and Caserio is known to be an admirer of the former Eastern Illinois QB. While the Texans are widely expected to select a quarterback with the number two overall pick in this year’s draft, they are also reportedly keen on signing a veteran to lead the team while the rookie develops. Jimmy Garoppolo has been doing this role the last couple of seasons for San Francisco, after they drafted Trey Lance, and as he is so well trusted by both the head coach and GM in Houston, he could be the ideal target for the Texans.

The issue though is Garoppolo sees himself as more than just a bridge quarterback and he has made it clear that this offseason he expects a long-term deal and a significant payday. While the Texans have the cap space to pay him, whether they will want to give the sort of contract that he is after is another question. With the Texans expected to draft one of the top QB prospects, any veteran brought in may only have the starting job for a year or so and so a long term, lucrative contract for Garoppolo doesn’t make any sense. Plus, from Garoppolo’s viewpoint, there are a number of teams desperate for a quarterback this offseason and with the lack of QBs on the market, he will be thinking that he should be able to find a team that sees him as more than a bridge and give him a more appealing contract than the Texans are likely to offer him.

That team could be the Atlanta Falcons. Like the Texans, they have the cap space to pay a veteran quarterback and while at first glance it may look like another bridge quarterback role, after they drafted Desmond Ridder last year, the Falcons aren’t completely sold on the idea as Ridder as being their future. Garoppolo could be the answer for them. He would fit in well in an Arthur Smith offense that has many similarities with Kyle Shanahan’s in San Francisco. With a run-heavy game and plenty of play action, again Garoppolo’s job would be to get the best out of the talent around him, in this case, getting the ball into the hands of talented young playmakers Drake London and Kyle Pitts. There’s no doubt that Garoppolo would be an immediate upgrade on both Mariota (who has now been released) and Ridder and it would give the Falcons more time to assess Ridder’s prospects as a starting quarterback of the future. The NFC South is wide open right now and if Garoppolo was to move to Atlanta, he would have a chance of making it back to the NFC playoffs next season. A move to Atlanta makes a lot of sense for both parties.

Staying in the NFC South, another team that will be interested in Garoppolo is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the retirement of Tom Brady, the Buccs need a new starting QB and reportedly they still plan on being competitive next season. Signing a reliable veteran like Garoppolo would enable them to do this. He has been there and done it in the NFC, taking the Niners to the Superbowl in the 2019 season and to the NFC Championship game in the 2021 season. As mentioned previously, his impressive 40-17 record as a starter in the NFL shows he knows what it takes to win in this league and with this Buccaneers roster he will have the chance to win right away. In Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Garoppolo would have two outstanding receivers to target and the Buccs have a playoff calibre defense already in place. Plus, with Tom Brady being the quarterback in Tampa Bay the last three seasons, a scheme is already in place that should be Garoppolo-friendly. Again, it is a move that makes a lot of sense for both parties. The issue though is the Buccaneers’ cap space. They are currently projected to be around $56 million over the cap, with $35 million of cap space being taken up by Brady, despite his retirement. It is going to take a lot of financial manoeuvring to be able to get back below the cap, let alone make enough room to pay Jimmy Garoppolo the money he is seeking. That is not to say it can’t be done though.

I could have written about the Jets here. They are definitely going to be signing a veteran quarterback this year, and with Robert Saleh at head coach and their talented young roster, they would be a very appealing prospect for Garoppolo. He is though, at best, third choice for the Jets, behind Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr, and any move to New York would depend on them failing to land one of these. A much more interesting team who could be after Garoppolo is the Tennessee Titans.

There is a lot of talk about whether Ryan Tannehill will be the starting quarterback in Nashville next season and his contract situation could mean that the Titans decide it’s time to move on from him. Tannehill is entering the final year of a contract that carries a 2023 cap hit of £36.6 million and releasing him would save the Titans $17.8 million in cap space. If they do decide to move on from him, a veteran quarterback would need to be brought in. Malik Willis is clearly nowhere near ready as a starter so Jimmy Garoppolo could be the man to line up under centre for the Titans next season. New GM Ran Carthon was the director of pro personnel in San Francisco when the Niners traded for Garoppolo in 2017 and so Garoppolo is a player that Carthon knows well and trusts. Tennessee would be a good fit for him too. Mike Vrabel’s system involves play action and a focus on the running game, with effectiveness being the quality most sought for in their quarterback. This is a job that Garoppolo could do well and with his experience of leading the Niners in big games, his game management qualities could be exactly what the Titans are looking for. An issue with a move to the Titans is the lack of offensive weapons they have currently, with a wide receiver corps severely lacking in talent after the release of Robert Woods. With a new OC in Tennessee though and Mike Vrabel at head coach, the challenge of rebuilding this Titans offense could be an enticing one for Garoppolo.

Dan Rowe

What’s next for Jimmy G?

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