"You also don't have to take deals that are bullcrap" - NFL insider believes the 49ers should not underestimate Jimmy Garoppolo's value
The San Francisco 49ers are in a unique position. On one hand, the team has Jimmy Garoppolo, a quarterback in his prime, who has gotten them to the Super Bowl. However, thanks to his injury issues, the team was forced to draft Trey Lance at the top of the first round. Both quarterbacks have solid reasons to start in 2022.
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Ryan Clark essentially agreed with this on the show Get Up!. Basically, he called for the San Francisco 49ers to trade the quarterback if they get a good deal. Otherwise, the team should wait, as opportunities to get the most value will arise. However, if they get a better-than-expected deal, they should take it.
"I mean, it makes sense. If you get something that you feel is surplus for Jimmy Garoppolo. You don't just go out and search for a second-round pick. If you want to get rid of Jimmy Garoppolo, if you want to move on to Trey last, but if someone offers you something that you never thought you'd get, if you can get a first and a third-rounder in this draft or the next draft, I think you do unload Jimmy G."
Why the 49ers have leverage but need patience
Put simply, Clark's price for the quarterback hovers near a top pick in 2022's first round and a second-day pick in 2022 or 2023. If the 49ers get that, the team should take the offer and make a move. He continues:
"But also we have to think about what people feel in the building. Jimmy Garoppolo has gotten you to a Super Bowl. Jimmy Garoppolo gotcha to the NFC Championship last year. He's a good player. And if you're a Kyle Shanahan, if you're John Lynch, if you're the San Francisco 49er fans, you know what it looks like when Jimmy Garoppolo plays and when he doesn't.
And so for me, there is no rush to get rid of Jimmy Garoppolo. It's Jimmy Garoppolo is a part of us, and in saying that he's a part of us and saying that there is no rush to get him out of your building. "
If one simply looks back at the 49ers' wins pre-Garoppolo and post-Garoppolo, they can see the exact times they didn't have the quarterback. While he doesn't leap off the screen like a Mahomes or Rodgers, he elevates the team to the point where the team wins when he's around and loses when he's not. He's still young, so the 49ers do not need to rush his exit.
PSA: Aaron Rodgers will play for the Packers this season.
Russell Wilson will play for the Seahawks.
That is all.
In other words, there is no clear expiration date on the quarterback.
"You also don't have to take deals that are bullcrap. You don't have to take deals that aren't enough. People can't just look at you and say you know what we know. You don't want him. We know you got to move on to trade.
Let's take this piece of paper in his paper clip and send us Jimmy G. John Lynch is doing exactly what he shouldn't be [saying] right now. We are a two quarterback team. And if you want to change that, you have to come hard or don't come at all."
According to Clark, the 49ers' general manager needs to play hardball. The 49ers have all of the leverage. They have a quarterback several teams want and should not have a sense of urgency to move on from him quickly. They should only move on from him when they get a good offer, similar to the Texans with Deshaun Watson. They're moving on, but at their own pace when the price is right.