The San Francisco 49ers made a major move last week, as they traded their first-round pick along with a third-round pick and two future firsts to move up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The belief is that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are eyeing their quarterback of the future. That would mean their current quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, could be on the move, but the 49ers reportedly want something pretty substantial in return if they do trade him away.
One team that has been linked to Garoppolo is the franchise that originally drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and later sent him to San Francisco in exchange for a second-round pick: The New England Patriots. On Friday, Michael Giardi of the NFL Network reported that the Patriots are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to this incoming class of signal-callers, but that they have also "sniffed around" when it comes to Garoppolo's availability. So, what would the 49ers want in exchange for their quarterback? According to Giardi, his sources tell him it's a first-round pick.
A first-round pick for Garoppolo sounds like too high of an asking price, but it does go along with the narrative that the 49ers aren't exactly looking to part ways with Garoppolo right now. On the day when the 49ers traded up to the No. 3 overall pick, a "49ers source" told ESPN's Adam Schefter that "Jimmy is here to stay. He's our guy this year."
The issue with Garoppolo is not necessarily a lack of talent or leadership ability, but it's his availability. In 2019, Garoppolo threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while going 13-3 as the starter. He even led San Francisco through the postseason and eventually arrived at Super Bowl LIII, where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, that was Garoppolo's lone season in which he played in all 16 games. In his 30 starts with San Francisco, Garoppolo is an impressive 22-8.
The 49ers clearly are not in a rush to deal Garoppolo, and at this point in time it's reportedly going to take a first-round pick to acquire his services.
