NFL teams must cut their rosters down to 53 players by tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT. The San Francisco 49ers have been trying to find a trade partner for Jimmy Garoppolo to no avail and maintain that they are willing to keep the quarterback in 2022 if they can't offload him to another team. Few believe that will actually happen, with the most likely scenario being the 49ers releasing Garoppolo before Week 1, clearing his $24.2 million base salary.
There has been some question as to whether the 49ers might be willing to hold onto Garoppolo this season just to keep him out of the hands of the quarterback-needy Seattle Seahawks. The two teams face each other in Week 2 and again in Week 15.
Jordan Schultz reports that, with time running out, San Francisco has made no progress in finding a trade partner. He adds that general manager John Lynch prefers Garoppolo doesn't land with the division-rival Seahawks.
As of this morning, the #49ers had not made any more progress on a Jimmy Garappolo trade, sources say. San Francisco would clear $25.5M in cap space if he's released by tomorrow's 4pm ET deadline. I'm also told John Lynch prefers not to face Jimmy G with the #Seahawks Week 2.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 29, 2022
We'll see if Garoppolo remains on the roster past 1 p.m. tomorrow. If he does, and the 49ers have no intention of keeping him in 2022, the quarterback will take the spot of a player who might be able to contribute this season.
It's worth noting that both Garoppolo and the 49ers have approached this offseason as if the marriage was over. The quarterback has recovered from his March 8 shoulder surgery but has not participated in practices or team meetings. If there were a chance of him remaining on the roster, serving as Trey Lance's backup, you would think the veteran quarterback would at least be somewhat involved with the 49ers' offseason activities.