San Francisco 49ers: Dealing For Garoppolo Makes Sense For Both Sides

FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Jimmy Garoppolo
FOXBORO, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Jimmy Garoppolo /
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The San Francisco 49ers pulled a rabbit out of their hats before Tuesday’s trade deadline by acquiring a quarterback.

The San Francisco 49ers caught the football world with their collective pants down Monday night when they pulled off a trade nobody saw coming. For the bargain price of next year’s second-round draft pick, the 49ers landed themselves a potential franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo has been a hot commodity for the past couple of years, with several teams making open overtures to acquire his services. But Bill Belichick and the Patriots have rebuffed all overtures, preferring to keep Garoppolo on the roster as Tom Brady‘s heir apparent.

But with Brady still playing at a very high level, and having stated repeatedly that he intends to play well into his forties, Belichick and the Pats have hitched their wagons to him for the long-term.

Or at least, however long the forty-year old Brady can continue to play at a high level.

It’s a bit of a surprising move for the Patriots, given that they previously traded quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Colts. That leaves New England without an heir apparent to Brady, should age or injury finally catch up with him.

On the other hand though, it also makes sense from New England’s perspective, given that Garoppolo, a free agent following this season, could – and probably would – choose to walk away given the fact that Brady apparently will only let go of the football when they pry it from his cold, dead hands.

From New England’s perspective, at least, this way, the Patriots get something for him.

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From San Francisco’s perspective, this deal makes a lot of sense as well. Given that they’re destined for one of the top picks – if not the top overall pick – in next year’s draft, if Garoppolo works out, it would free them up to shore up another area of their roster that needs help.

That is contingent, of course, upon A) Garoppolo actually being as good as advertised, and B) the team being able to work out a contract with him.

It’s a big roll of the dice. This is Garoppolo’s fourth season in the league, and he’s played well when he’s been under center, but it’s an incredibly small sample size to truly evaluate. His career stat line shows promise – a 2-0 record as a starter, 67 percent passing (63 completions on 94 attempts) for 690 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

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Garoppolo shows promise as a starter, but it’s also an incredibly small sample size to make any definitive judgments about.

Which means, these next eight games will serve as Garoppolo’s audition for the team. Or any team looking to acquire his services, really. But, the next eight games will also be the team’s audition for him.

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  • If he’s convinced this team is headed in the right direction, is putting key pieces into place, and obviously, throws enough dollars at him, it would make sense for him to stay with the team. If he’s not convinced, he walks.

    And from the 49ers’ side, if he proves that the promise he’s showed is not just fool’s gold, that he truly can elevate a team, and be a solid foundation piece, it would make sense to lock him up for the long term.

    In the short term, look for the 49ers to roll out their new toy – though likely on a very compressed playbook. With only eight games remaining, they are going to need all the tape on him they can get to evaluate their plans moving forward.

    This is one of those rare deals that could actually be a win-win for both sides. Garoppolo gets to step out from beneath Brady’s considerable shadow and show that he has what it takes to lead a team. And the 49ers get to see if they have a foundation piece they can build around.

    If the experiment goes completely sideways and Garoppolo proves to be closer to the second coming of JaMarcus Russell than Joe Montana, they’re only out a second-round pick. And honestly, given how bad things are, they’re no worse off than they are now.

    If the Garoppolo experiment doesn’t end up panning out, don’t forget, Kirk Cousins is still very likely going to be a free agent next season.