Jimmy Garoppolo's future could be decided in the next couple of days.
Garoppolo, who went 31-14 and won four playoff games over five seasons with the 49ers, is a candidate to be released by Tuesday's deadline at 1 p.m. PT when NFL teams chop rosters down to 53 players.
However, NFL analyst Chris Simms believes the 49ers and Garoppolo should keep their partnership alive.
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The Seattle Seahawks reportedly are interested in Garoppolo, as he likely would be an upgrade at quarterback over Geno Smith, who has started five NFL games since 2014.
Seattle's outlook on the 2022 NFL season, however, is looking grim as it rebuilds after a 7-10 campaign, the team's worst single-season winning percentage since Pete Carroll took over as head coach in 2010.
Things are looking up for the Houston Texans, who might not be a playoff team this season but feature 23-year-old Davis Mills under center. Mills had a promising rookie season in which he threw for 2,664 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 starts. If Garoppolo ended up with Houston, he likely would be the backup behind a promising young quarterback, just as he would be on San Francisco's depth chart behind Trey Lance.
As Simms argues, Garoppolo might be better off remaining in San Francisco, even as the backup. But the analyst also sees the 49ers benefiting from holding on to Garoppolo.
The 49ers have made it clear Lance will be the starting quarterback this season. If Garoppolo is released, Nate Sudfeld would take the backup role, with rookie Brock Purdy fighting for a roster spot.
For the entirety of the offseason, it seemed all but a guarantee that Garoppolo and the 49ers would part ways. But trade options disappeared when Garoppolo underwent shoulder surgery in March, and San Francisco never found a dance partner during training camp.
San Francisco 49ers
Would the 49ers actually consider restructuring Garoppolo's contract and keeping him in the Bay?
ESPN's Adam Schefter pondered that question last week.
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"The 49ers are going to have to decide whether or not they are willing to keep -- yes, keep -- Jimmy Garoppolo," Schefter said on ESPN's "NFL Live" on Thursday. "And Jimmy Garoppolo is going to have to decide whether he’s willing to restructure his contract and stay in San Francisco, or whether he wants to move on and become a free agent. Both sides are going to have a say in how this works out. It might just be that the best scenario is for both sides to work together to stay together for this year, so that the 49ers can have a capable No. 2 quarterback backing up Trey Lance."
Will the 49ers cut Garoppolo or keep him as a backup this season? The situation should become clearer by Tuesday's roster cut-down deadline.