Jimmy Garoppolo might not have a future with the 49ers, but he was present at practice Saturday in front of a large crowd at the team’s Santa Clara complex.
At the start of the day of work, Garoppolo was the center of attention as he ran conditioning sprints along the back of the end zone near the southern fence of the practice field.
He offered salutations and handshakes to reporters. He waved to fans. And he acknowledged the team mascot, Sourdough Sam, with a salute and a smile.
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Garoppolo’s NFL future might be stuck in limbo until the league-mandated roster reduction to 53 players on Aug. 30, but he looked like a man with not a worry in the world.
After all, he said he knows “eventually” something will happen. The 49ers announced they have moved on to second-year quarterback Trey Lance, but Garoppolo is still around.
Garoppolo worked up a nice sweat with his running on Saturday morning. Then, he moved onto another phase of his rehabilitation program behind the bleachers on the west side of the practice field.
There, he continued his throwing regimen as part of his physical therapy following surgery on March 8 to repair the capsule in his right shoulder.
San Francisco 49ers
Garoppolo was observed taking straight drop-backs and throwing 30-yard passes on a line to a member of the 49ers’ strength and conditioning staff.
After a delivering a handful of passes at the same depth, he threw a few that carried 35 yards in the air. His target kept moving back, and over the course of approximately 20 minutes in which he was observed, Garoppolo concluded with a few passes that he lofted nearly 50 yards.
Garoppolo’s arm looked strong and accurate in a controlled throwing session. He was not seen throwing on the run or changing arm angles.
But with more than a month before the start of the regular season, Garoppolo looked to be well on his way toward being able to satisfy all the physical demands of an NFL quarterback sooner than later.
Garoppolo recently received medical clearance from the performing surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Upon reporting to 49ers training camp on Tuesday, Garoppolo passed his physical with team doctors. He was not placed on the physically unable to perform list, which means he technically could practice with the team.
However, coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear there is no plan for Garoppolo to take part in any practice sessions while the club continues to hold onto him in hopes of completing a trade.
All indications are that the 49ers do not want to grant Garoppolo his release to allow him to immediately sign with a team and get better acclimated with a new team that might face the 49ers early in the season.
The Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback depth chart consists of Geno Smith and Drew Lock. The Seahawks come to Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 18 for the first of two games matching the NFC West rivals.
When suggested that the fear of Garoppolo landing in Seattle could be a contributing factor for the 49ers keeping Garoppolo on the roster, Shanahan left a lot to interpretation.
“Jimmy is working out hard, throwing the heck out of the ball,” Shanahan said on Friday. “I told you guys everything about the situation. I'm not going to tell you guys every single thing in my head, but you can figure it out when I say we have to do what’s right for this organization.
“And we're going to do everything we can to make it as good as possible for Jimmy, while always doing what's right for this organization at the same time.”
If Garoppolo had not required the surgery, he almost certainly would have been traded a week later at the start of the new league year.
It was an offseason in which starting quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan switched teams.
What could the 49ers have acquired in exchange for Garoppolo? Two of the offseason deals involving the Indianapolis Colts provide clues.
Indianapolis received the Washington Commanders’ second-round pick (No. 42 overall), third-round pick (No. 73 overall) and a 2023 conditional third-round pick in exchange for Wentz, a second-round pick (No. 47 overall) and a seventh-round pick (No. 237).
The Colts acquired Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick.
RELATED: Lance meets Shanahan's approval during 49ers training camp
Garoppolo is scheduled to make $24.2 million in base salary this season. The 49ers will not owe him any of that money if they trade or release him at or before Aug. 30. The 49ers granted his representatives permission more than four months ago to seek a trade.
Any team could come to a financial arrangement for Garoppolo’s services now, then work out a deal with the 49ers to deliver him to a new team.
Otherwise, any team that could be interested might just have to wait another month and, potentially, compete with other teams for his services.