With training camp set to begin less than two weeks from now, the 49ers might not have expected Jimmy Garoppolo would still be on their roster.
The good news is that the rehabbing QB is starting to throw after he underwent shoulder surgery back in March, a good sign for teams previously hesitant about acquiring a signal caller that can’t throw.
While teams haven’t exactly gone above and beyond to acquire Garoppolo yet, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks they should take a second look.
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“The Jimmy G situation is interesting just because I think money is going to come into it because of where we are in the calendar,” Breer said on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast”. “I actually think Jimmy's become a little bit underrated. He's been in the NFC Championship Game two of the last three years, he's not a bad player.”
Breer acknowledged that the shoulder messed with the timing of things, and has made the move more difficult.
Difficult, but not impossible.
“He's got to prove he can throw,” Breer said. “What's interesting and I think this has gone a little underreported. The Niners have been 100 percent willing to let other teams come in and talk with Jimmy's camp about renegotiating his number.
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“And it's different than Baker [Mayfield's], as you know, because Baker's money was all guaranteed. None of Jimmy's money is guaranteed.”
With the Mayfield-Carolina Panthers trade in the rearview, Garoppolo remains as the next QB expected to be on the move.
And while Garoppolo realizes his worth, he probably understands there's not going to be a team that will match the price tag.
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"Is there a team out there is willing to negotiate his number down and is Jimmy willing to negotiate his number down, and are the Niners willing to take on a little bit of the money to sort of buy back a draft pick?
"There's a lot more moving pieces with the Jimmy situation than I think people realize and I think he's a better player than people realize, too. So it'll be interesting to see if the Niners maybe wait a couple weeks into camp and it turns into either there's an injury somewhere or somebody's not happy with their quarterback situation. Now, all of a sudden you have a home for him."
The quarterback saga could be nearing an end, but for now, the 49ers -- and Garoppolo -- will have to continue doing what they've been doing all offseason: wait.