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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provided his thoughts on where the veteran quarterback may land this offseason, compiling a list of nine teams that could potentially trade for Garoppolo. Here are those teams in order, starting with the most likely team to land him.
1. Browns
The Cleveland Browns are the first team that comes to mind that can use Jimmy's services. Deshaun Watson's future is still unclear, and banking on Jacoby Brissett has proved to be quite disappointing for other teams. This situation almost entirely relies on the length of any likely suspension for current Browns QB Deshaun Watson. If the Browns aggressively pursue Garoppolo, Watson will have to miss a significant amount of the regular season. Without a suspension there won't be much of a reason for the Browns to pursue Garoppolo, but that situation seems unlikely after the NFL has reportedly been looking at a full season ban for Watson.
2. Steelers
Pittsburgh is the second most likely destination for Garoppolo after drafting Kenny Pickett in the first round this past April. The Steelers have an elite defense and some solid weapons on the offensive side of the ball and can certainly win now with the correct moves. The real question is whether or not the Steelers want Pickett to be thrown in the fire right away, or to be groomed by a veteran like Garoppolo. Grabbing Jimmy G via trade could work out for the Steelers, who signed Mitchell Trubisky prior to selecting Kenny Pickett in the draft. An argument can be made whether Jimmy would beat out Trubisky, but the price certainly doesn't look too steep for Pittsburgh.
3. Saints
Jameis Winston isn't exactly a name that inspires confidence as a franchise quarterback and he is coming off a serious knee injury he suffered last season. The team signed Andy Dalton, who is a good backup option, but neither of these two have done what Garoppolo has, and that's win playoff games. Another team with a great defense and weapons everywhere on offense, this is a team Garoppolo could fit right into.
4. Texans, Lions, and Falcons
These are all young teams who are preparing for the future and are more in rebuilding mode, which is a situation Garoppolo can slide into if they would rather take a shot on him than start over with a rookie. The Texans have Davis Mills at quarterback, who showed some promising flashes in his rookie campaign, but nothing that Garoppolo hasn't showed he can do as well. Mills is a solid player but adding Garoppolo would certainly be an upgrade. If they want to be tied to him long-term, now is the time. The Lions have Jared Goff, who played quite well last season, but probably have no intentions of pursuing Garoppolo who, like Goff, will likely be a $20 million quarterback. Atlanta is a possibility with Marcus Mariota under center. He hasn't played a full season in years, and the team only has a very young Desmond Ridder behind him. Garoppolo would be the unquestioned starter and provide leadership and experience the other two do not posses.
5. 49ers, Seahawks, Dolphins
The 49ers will simply not keep Garoppolo unless he agrees to a significant pay cut, which is highly unlikely at this point. San Francisco will move on from him, it's just a matter of when. The Seattle Seahawks have Drew Lock as their current starter, so advantage Jimmy on that one. However, the Seahawks are a division rival and working out a deal with them and sending Jimmy G, who once took the 49ers to a Super Bowl, is not happening. Lastly, we have the Miami Dolphins, who currently have Tua Tagovailoa under center and former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is their new head coach. Reuniting with coach McDaniel would be in Garoppolo's best interests, but Miami is truly going to see what they have in Tua this season.
