After the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Conference Championship, many have speculated about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's future with the 49ers. On Tuesday, Garoppolo told reporters that he'd discussed the offseason possibilities with general manager John Lynch, which likely includes trade scenarios.
"And yeah, as far as just the whole trade situation, John's been very clear with it," Garoppolo said. "I think they're trying to do the best for me. I'm trying to do the best for them, and we're working together in that. Really haven't made too much progress on it, but I think things will start happening here pretty quickly."
Many teams, such as the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, and the Washington Football Team, could use a passer, especially one who led his team to two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance.
Here are the five destinations for Jimmy G.
Cleveland Browns
This would be the best landing spot for Garoppolo. The Browns made the playoffs last season but finished 8-9 this season. Many have argued some of the Browns' losses were because of lack of play from their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who threw for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. If the Browns were to make a trade for Garoppolo, the quarterback competition in Cleveland could either push Baker to improve or end up with Garoppolo taking over the reins as the team's starting quarterback. The Browns offense is set up for a strong running game and doesn't need the quarterback to throw the ball 30 times a game. Cleveland has running backs in Nick Chubb, who rushed for 1,259 yards this past season, and Kareem Hunt, who is capable of carrying the load. As was the case in San Francisco, Garoppolo could use the play-action passing to get the ball to wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones or tight ends David Njoku and Austin Hooper. Garoppolo has shown that he can be a capable quarterback with an outstanding running game and a solid defense.
Even though they are up for sale, the Broncos still need a quarterback. Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Locke could not lead Denver to contention with a group of studs at the offensive skill positions. This season, the Broncos finished 7-10 in an AFC West division with young gunslingers like Herbert, Mahomes, and Carr. Still, Denver could be a ball-control offense with their two running backs, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, who both rushed for over 900 yards this season. The Broncos' new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, who worked with one of the best quarterbacks of the modern era (Aaron Rodgers), and a top-10 offense can help improve their inconsistencies, especially at the quarterback position. That missing piece hurt Denver down the stretch, yet they still had the eighth-ranked defense this past season. Garoppolo can be smart with the ball and take advantage of the players on the field, as he did in San Francisco.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers will need a quarterback, with Ben Roethlisberger retiring after their playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pittsburgh finished 9-7 and is another playoff-ready team in need of a quarterback who can take advantage of their offensive skill position players, including pass-catchers Pat Freiermuth, Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. As with San Francisco, Garoppolo could take advantage of a strong rushing attack with running back Najee Harris, who carried the ball over 307 times for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
News Flash: Tom Brady retired from the NFL, so the Buccaneers will need a quarterback. Everyone knows Garoppolo was Brady's backup in New England, so a team that won Super Bowl LV would still be contenders and would be wise to go after Brady's former understudy. Just as the other teams on this list, Tampa has skilled players across the board, especially running backs Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II. They can take the load off the quarterback. Garoppolo could get the ball to pass-catchers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Tyler Johnson, O.J. Howard, and Cameron Brate. Bruce Arians is also known as a "Quarterback Whisperer" because he has improved many quarterbacks like Carson Palmer, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, and Jameis Winston. So he can improve Garoppolo.
Minnesota Vikings
The Kirk Cousins experiment is over and wasted the careers of talented players like Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Harrison Smith, Anthony Barr, Justin Jefferson, and Eric Kendricks. The Vikings have the talent on both sides of the ball to be a contender. However, Cousins has shown to falter down the stretch of a season on many occasions. Garoppolo can come into a roster and be smart with the ball. The only downside is if the new head coach comes in and the offense is set up for Garoppolo to be a gunslinger.
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Written by:Sports has been my first love since I was 12 years old. At one point I wanted to play football professionally. I started to take photography as a hobby in my teenage years but this was when I followed sports. I started to listen to sports radio, I found my true calling and it was to be a sports talk show host. Though I follow football and basketball, I started to have a new love of cultures around the world. After graduating from San Antonio College in 2018, I worked for the Castroville News Bulletin before going to A&M San Antonio to get my communications degree. Since I have written for the Ranger of San Antonio College, the News Bulletin and the Mesquite of Texas A&M San Antonio, I met many people and went to a lot of events. My major milestone was being in the press box of the San Antonio Commanders game for the Mesquite and being apart of a press conference with the Medina County Sheriff and other local news outlets. When I am not doing anything, I like to watch old cartoons on the DC Universe, play video games such as Mega Man and the Mass Effect series. I have also created Youtube channel called "Anger Management" with my friend Aaron Donnell.
