Three Teams That Should Trade for Jimmy Garoppolo Following the Baker Mayfield Trade

The Carolina Panthers’ recent acquisition of Baker Mayfield leaves many around the league wondering one thing: what happens with Jimmy Garoppolo?

Jimmy Garoppolo is the only quarterback in the NFL — aside from Tom Brady — that has two Super Bowl rings on his resume. Is this misleading? Absolutely. Jimmy G won both rings as the backup to Brady himself in New England. We must give credit where credit is due, however. Garoppolo also earned his way to the Super Bowl as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. The team held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately for Jimmy G, the Chiefs charged back and won the game after 21 unanswered points in the final frame. At one point during the fourth quarter, the Niners held a 95.4% win probability.

Given all of this experience, a sparkling 33-14 record as starting quarterback, and a stellar career completion percentage (67.7%), Garoppolo should be a commodity on the trade market. So what’s the hold up? Two factors weigh down his value: his injury history (including his current shoulder injury) and his high price tag in 2022. Not many teams have enough available cap space to absorb Garoppolo’s salary. The 49ers could be willing to eat some of the contract in order to make a trade work, but what destinations make sense for the polarizing signal caller? The New Orleans Saints, the Seattle Seahawks, and wait for it — the Cleveland Browns — jump out the most for me.

3. New Orleans Saints

The Saints wholeheartedly believe that they are a playoff roster. They made some big moves this offseason, after losing a lot of talent. The franchise replaced their stalwart left tackle, Terron Armstead, with the No. 19 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft — Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning. Chris Olave, one of the smoothest route runners to come through the college ranks in years, also sports the black and gold after hearing his name called in the first round. With Michael Thomas likely to return this season, this gives the Saints a Buckeye duo at wide receiver. Although a suspension is looming for superstar running back, Alvin Kamara, New Orleans presents one of the best win-now opportunities for Jimmy Garoppolo.

Jimmy G is the type of accurate, game manager that could do some damage with the Saints stacked roster. The idea of playing in a dome is likely appealing, as is the slew of weapons that would be at his disposal. The hang up with the Saints comes down to salary cap constraints and the fact they already have veteran’s like Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton under contract. I’m not sure that New Orleans would be willing to dip into their depleted asset pool, either. All things being equal, this pairing would be wonderful. But, it is not as practical as the next two options, making the Saints the least likely of the group.