San Francisco 49 officials have positioned themselves to choose a high-stress signal-collar and keep Jimmy Garoppolo for the foreseeable future.
There is no rush to get a new one, which he ends up with, which means the 49ers are in Catbird’s seat when it comes to position. They can roll with Garoppolo as a starter and leave their first round selection on the bench to learn – and they can demand the highest return for Garoppolo when the call of interested suitors comes.
The asking price for Garappolo is a first round choice, Mike Giardi of the NFL Network reported.
That return will be greater than what San Francisco gave to Garoppolo (pick the second round of 2018) out of the grip of New England in 2017, and the maximum of any potential return on investment.
The 49ers, who set a first-round price tag for Garoppolo, moved up from 12th to third in the trade with the Dolphins in the 2021 NFL Draft a week later. Amidst the excitement of the trade, however, NFL Network’s Steve Weich reported that 49-year-old coach Kyle Shanah told him Garoppolo had been in the team’s plans. Shanahan and GM John Lynch confirmed this to reporters earlier this week.
San Francisco will not have to trade Garoppolo anytime soon. The quarterback is under contract until 2022, he hits the minimum dead cap and is still a San Francisco starter. The 49 have wisely taken a public stance, including Geropolo as their starter and in the team’s plans to prevent any loss of their returns.
Over time, that may change, but keeping their partnership safe for just one year, the time is ideal for San Francisco to negotiate for as much compensation as possible. It seems that only the most desperate teams should even consider picking up the phone to dial 49s.
Is that Team New England?
Why Newton’s one-year deal is only. Millions of dollars is guaranteed and this has a base value of 1 1.1 million per cap, and Giardi said Friday that it is backup money, not starter pay. Newton is a fairly contingency plan that could definitely play out in 2021, but the Patriots are also too stable to take extra steps to address the situation if they want to, by draft, free agency or trade.
The reunion of Geropolo and New England almost makes sense. It’s probably not as logical as if he needed to be picked in the first round, however, meaning we could lead to a starring contest in which the strongest gust of wind and dry air won’t cause San Francisco to shimmer.
If you call for Garoppolo, Friday’s report suggests you’re the best.
