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The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most recent teams to enter the 2022 NFL Offseason. They began the stretch after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game in late January. Now, the franchise must look towards next season, which means identifying which pieces of their 53-man roster to keep, and which ones that need to go.
One player that is undoubtedly returning for the 2022-2023 season is Deebo Samuel. The wide receiver can do nearly everything on offense and is arguably the 49ers' best player.
Usually, the quarterback is the top, most talented player on a successful team. However, Samuel and tight end George Kittle have been in the 49ers limelight the past few years, while Jimmy Garoppolo is falling behind in their shadows.
Since joining the 49ers in 2017, Garoppolo has reached the highest of highs and lowest of lows. He barely played in the 2018 season before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. Just a year later, Garoppolo led his team to the Super Bowl, but couldn't come up with the win against the Kansas City Chiefs.
There is a possibility that the 49ers might think that Jimmy G costs more than he's worth, which is why he could be the surprise roster cut out of San Francisco this offseason.
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NFL fans questioned the legitimacy of the quarterback throughout the 49ers' playoff run. His teammates and head coach Kyle Shanahan felt the need to defend him ahead of the NFC Championship Game.
Unfortunately, Garoppolo's lackluster performance in the game exposed exactly what the skeptics were talking about. He connected with receivers on only 53 percent of his passing attempts for a total of 232 yards. Meanwhile, contesting quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 337 yards and had a completion percentage of 69 percent. Garoppolo proved this offseason that he doesn't have the talent and capabilities of keeping up with the rising and star quarterbacks in the NFL.
According to Pro Football Network, the 49ers would clear up $23.6 million in salary-cap space if they completed a trade for Garoppolo this offseason (along with whatever they agreed to acquire in exchange for the quarterback). Pro Football Network noted that the main issue for the 49ers is trying to find a team that is willing to sign Jimmy G and his 2022 base salary of $25.5 million.
What would be a possible trade for the 49ers? Well, according to Bleacher Report, there are seven teams in the league that will likely have a new starting quarterback for the 2022 season. Along with the 49ers, the list includes the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. This report was before Tom Brady retired from the NFL, so the Tampa Bay Buccaneers increase the overall list to eight teams.
Out of the seven potential landing spots for Garoppolo, the Buccaneers would be a great team to trade with. Tampa Bay would have some work to do to fulfill Garoppolo's base salary. However, they could easily acquire him in exchange for their second or third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
