ESPN analyst pegs Jimmy Garoppolo to Steelers in mock trade

Most NFL fans and analysts view garoppolo-as-wentz-replacement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jimmy Garoppolo as a quarterback who has been on the edge of a new team for the last year.

However, one NFL analyst predicts that the long wait at the edge of the trade cliff could end. In his annual yearly pick trading exercise, Bill Barnwell of ESPN predicted that the Pittsburgh Steelers could end up with the San Francisco 49ers quarterback.

According to Barnwell, the Steelers would get San Francisco's second overall pick (61st overall) and their fourth-round pick (134th overall) in addition to Garoppolo. In exchange, the 49ers would get the Steelers' first-round pick (20th overall) and their third overall pick (84th overall).

Talked with the always classy @JimmyG_10 who had tons of praise for @19problemz both on and off the field. Pay this man.

And yes Jimmy is open to keep playing with him… somewhere. #Stackingthebox

https://t.co/Q5glrLsmdb

Of course, that is only half of it. The other part of getting a deal done is making sure it works with the salary cap. Here is the solution presented by Barnwell:

"Here's a creative way for the Steelers to land a veteran quarterback and get back to competing in the AFC North. They don't have the cap space to afford the $25 million remaining on Garoppolo's deal in 2022, and the 49ers need draft capital after trading three first-rounders for Trey Lance."

He continued by saying the 49ers would need to do some financial gymnastics to trade Jimmy Garoppolo:

"We can satisfy both of these teams' needs if they manage to split the money. To get this to work, the 49ers would convert $16 million of Garoppolo's base salary into a roster bonus and pay it immediately, bringing his salary down to a far more palatable $8.2 million."

Barnwell concluded:

"The Steelers would move down 41 picks for the privilege. This deal would value Garoppolo and the $16 million San Francisco is eating as something close to the 27th pick in a typical draft."

Jimmy Garoppolo: "It's a long offseason. It's already been crazy with all the trades, guys going to different teams. I'm just going to let the chips fall where they may, keep working my ass off like I always do." twitter.com/SiriusXMNFL/st…

Jimmy Garoppolo's 2021 experience

Heading into 2021, many looked at Jimmy Garoppolo as another bridge quarterback. Usually, when a top rookie is drafted, it serves as a terminal illness for the incumbent quarterback the following season.

However, Garoppolo eschewed the norm to survive the entire season and was even a few plays away from his second Super Bowl appearance.

In 2021, the quarterback threw for 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 68.3 percent of his passes.

Of course, the sticking point with Jimmy Garoppolo hasn't been his production or ability to keep the team in games. His issue has been his ability to stay healthy. Since his first bonafide starting season in 2018, the quarterback has had perfect attendance in only one entire season.

This could concern teams interested in signing him ahead of next season.