San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch (left) with Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers have limited NFL draft capital in 2022, but postponing those four players at the start of the off-season can help correct this in good part.
Since head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch took on their respective roles in 2017, the San Francisco 49ers have been no stranger to notable professions.
There have been some blockbusters like EDGE Dee Ford’s 2019 pickup truck from the Kansas City Chiefs and perhaps the most notable ones, acquiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots just before the 2017 NFL trading deadline. Other offers were also mixed in.
With the close of trading in 2021 in the rearview mirror, the next time that Lynch and Co. can conclude such a deal could take place at the beginning of the League New Year in spring 2022.
And there are certainly some steps Lynch should take, especially after handing out multiple NFL first-round draft picks and a third-round selection last April to snag quarterback Trey Lance.
While many of these proposed trade ideas wouldn’t bring in anything of the kind in return, this could help top up overall design capital for Lynch and the Niners over the next year.
Of course, like any other team-to-team transaction, San Francisco can’t just trade “bad” players for something nice in return. Good luck trying to make this happen if you are a general manager.
Here are four, however, Lynch should explore moving.
49ers Trade Candidate No. 4: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
Let’s get that out of the way first as it’s the most obvious.
Right or wrong, the 49ers have stayed with Garoppolo as an established starter this year despite investing in Lance.
Signed the next year, however, according to Over the Cap, the Niners can redeem $ 25.6 million of Garoppolo’s $ 27 million via a trade to another team.
Granted, this team would either have to have enough cap space to absorb that hit and / or Garoppolo would have to forego his no-trade clause and possibly accept a pay cut as he would admit he was going to have that kind of money on open market would not get if released directly.
That said, there are still teams Garoppolo might prefer anyway, and the off-season quarterbacks market in 2022 will be terribly provocative, especially with limited options in the NFL draft.
Meanwhile, San Francisco is hoping Garoppolo will close the year out as well as possible, in return adding net worth, thereby opening the door for Lance in 2022.
