The San Francisco 49ers were unsuccessful in their efforts to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, and now GM John Lynch has revealed the point in the offseason where trade talks began to go south. Via Cam Inman, Lynch opened up on the negotiations the 49ers had throughout the offseason, indicating that there were a few times he felt like a deal was on the verge of going through. Unfortunately, Garoppolo required offseason shoulder surgery, which significantly hampered other teams' interest in the 30-year-old.
Lynch on Garoppolo trade talks:
"Combine time, there were really serious talks. Probably 2-3 teams that I felt this was going to happen. That’s when news broke (of shoulder surgery). Then things went way they went. I’m glad we’ve arrived where we’re at … We're happy he's here"— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 1, 2022
“Combine time, there were really serious talks. Probably 2-3 teams that I felt this was going to happen. That's when news broke [of Garoppolo's shoulder surgery],” said Lynch.
Garoppolo had widely been expected to be traded during the offseason, but it seems the shoulder injury was the turning point that left other teams uneasy about pulling the trigger on a trade. Garoppolo underwent shoulder surgery in March, and it was not anticipated to have a big impact on teams' interest in trading for him. It turns out that wasn't the case, however, as Lynch indicated that after he had the procedure, the well dried up.
Rumors had linked various teams with a 49ers' Garoppolo trade, including the Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns. The Seahawks just named Geno Smith as their starting quarterback for the upcoming campaign while the Browns seem destined to roll with Jacoby Brissett until Deshaun Watson returns from his suspension.
In the end, Garoppolo agreed to stay with the 49ers on a restructured contract. Instead of the $25+ million he was due to make in 2022, Garoppolo will now collect a base salary of $6.5 million, as well as $500,000 in roster bonuses. The deal could rise to as much as $16 million if on-field incentives are reached.
Garoppolo will still serve as the backup to Trey Lance in 2022, something the 49ers have made clear in the aftermath of the deal.
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