"If they’re truly trying to win, Garoppolo makes plenty of sense" - Mike Florio has a wild take on where 49ers QB will land
Jimmy Garoppolo, the San Francisco 49ers starter, has been the subject of NFL trade talks for a while now. The discussions only intensified when the San Francisco 49ers essentially signaled to their quarterback that he wasn't in their future plans.
Jimmy G's future became much cloudier when the 49ers took Trey Lance third overall.
He is the first name tossed around when a team needs a quarterback, yet he remains in San Francisco for the time being. It doesn't seem like anyone is actively trying to trade for him.
However, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes he'll end up somewhere sooner rather than later:
"If they’re truly trying to win, Garoppolo makes plenty of sense. And the way they’re playing it, by acting like they don’t want him and are all-in with Davis Mills, makes sense, too."
Florio believes that the Houston Texans, who just traded away former franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, could be the next destination for Jimmy G.
A few reasons why the Texans will land Jimmy Garoppolo
The Texans are a quarterback needy team and the 49ers have an extra quarterback. It seems like a match made in heaven.
Mike Florio gave several reasons why the quarterback will end up in Houston, writing:
"For starters, Garoppolo clearly is available. We know that. Unless the 49ers have completely lost their marbles as to the quarterback position (and it’s definitely possible that they have), they’re not going to pay Garoppolo $25 million to serve as the understudy to Trey Lance."
He went on to say that the Texans have experience doing this type of deal:
"Second, the Texans have shown that they know how to slow play a situation, in order to get the best outcome. They did it with Deshaun Watson. And it worked. Which makes them even more likely to keep their heads low and their mouths shut as to the possibility of getting Garoppolo, moving at the right time to get Garoppolo at the right terms and the right price."
There's also a connection from Garoppolo to Houston. Current Texans GM Nick Caserio drafted the quarterback when he worked in New England.
The Texans might not be trying to win, though. They may be rebuilding, which is a good idea after landing a number of assets for Deshaun Watson. Davis Mills was a pleasant surprise, too, so they may want to roll with and build around him.
If that's the case, there's almost no chance that they'll trade for Jimmy G. However, if they want to win, and the AFC South is one of the weaker divisions in football, then the 49er can help them do that.
Now that Baker Mayfield is in Carolina, the amount of quarterback-needy teams is shrinking. That puts Houston in an excellent position to land the quarterback for cheap. If they decide to pursue that route, that is.
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