There is no indication that the 49ers are actively looking to leave quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch said they expected Garoppolo to return as the team’s starter for the 2021 season.
At this point, there is no reason to doubt them.
There is also every reason to believe that the team Garoppolo wants to play for – above all – is the 49ers.
Garoppolo is popular with his teammates. He has a good support cast. He’s on a friendly quarterback system. And in his full season, he was the quarterback for a Super Bowl team.
Oh yes, he is also well paid.
There is absolutely no reason for him to think he could find a better situation outside of Santa Clara, outside of Shanahan’s attack.
Garoppolo may not be a bargain with his scheduled payment of $ 25.5 million (salary and bonuses) for the next season, but the 49ers also don’t believe he is getting much.
“That’s how much they cost,” said Shanahan on December 28, referring to the starting quarterbacks.
Still, it’s hard to imagine Garoppolo getting a two-year deal, $ 51.1 million – the real money remaining on his 49ers contract – now if he were suddenly a free agent.
The fact is that Garoppolo’s status with the 49ers this season will remain ripe for speculation until the club restructures his contract. When that time comes, 49ers must replace their scheduled salary with an initial subscription bonus to create a significant salary cap space for this off-season.
Until then, however, there will be a discussion about whether 49ers can acquire Deshaun Watson or Kirk Cousins - or someone else – and trade Garoppolo.
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Garoppolo has a no-trade clause in his contract. If that happens, Garoppolo will be able to veto any business anywhere he considers undesirable.
But exercising his no-trade clause in this hypothetical situation would also mean that he would be prepared to rip the last two years and $ 51.1 million into his contract and risk accepting a considerable cut in payment.
Any team that negotiated for him would inherit his contract with the 49ers, and he was guaranteed to win approximately $ 25 million this season. As a free agent, assuming the 49ers already had a new quarterback and released him, he probably wouldn’t be able to get such a generous deal.
Things can change, of course, but now the most likely scenario is that Jimmy Garoppolo won’t go anywhere and earn that money from 49ers.
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