The 2022 NFL preseason has officially kicked off, and the fate of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is not any more clear. A trade partner has yet to emerge, and it's possible the 49ers could end up releasing him.
While Garoppolo has led the 49ers to the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship just this past season, an unflattering report surfaced last week that potential suitors may want to hear about. According to Mike Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle, Garoppolo "disappeared" in most offseasons -- including in 2018, after he signed his five-year, $137.5 million deal.
"Once he left that press conference nobody heard from him for weeks and weeks," an unnamed 49ers assistant coach on the 2018 staff said (H/T Peter King's Football Morning in America.) "He didn't return calls, he didn't return texts — he basically just vanished. And we were looking at each other going, 'What just happened.'"
It goes without being said that a different kind of work ethic is required to be successful in the NFL -- especially when it comes to the quarterback position. Front offices want their signal-callers to be examples in everything they do, including how to handle the offseason. This new report seems to indicate that Jimmy G really enjoyed his time off.
Maybe the experience Garoppolo is currently going through will change how he approaches the game. As for who he will play for in 2022, that's something that's still being decided. There are no clear-cut landing spots for him at this time, although it's been reported that the Cleveland Browns will consider trading for him if Deshaun Watson's suspension increases substantially. The rival Seattle Seahawks could be in the mix as well, although they will probably need Garoppolo to be released. Pete Carroll and Co. seem confident in Drew Lock and Geno Smith, but it was reported last month that Seattle had even done work in the film room to see how Garoppolo would fit in.