The QB carousel has spun at hyper-speed over the past week, and Jimmy Garoppolo now is in danger of being left without a place to go.
The 49ers hoped to trade Garoppolo by the start of the new league year. The need for surgery on the capsule in his throwing shoulder has complicated matters. After Monday's flurry of moves saw the Indianapolis Colts (Matt Ryan), Atlanta Falcons (Marcus Mariota), and New Orleans Saints (Jameis Winston) fill their quarterback needs, only two teams remain as possible landing spots for Garoppolo.
The Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.
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Why the 49ers have been unable to trade Garoppolo and what happens next is a question my colleague Matt Maiocco thoroughly broke down already.
Let's talk about the two -- maybe three if you count the Houston Texans -- potential landing spots that are left and why the 49ers find themselves in a bit of a pickle with Garoppolo and the $25.5 million price tag he carries.
If you strip away everything else and look only at need and situation, the Seahawks make logical sense for Garoppolo. After trading away Russell Wilson, the Seahawks have Drew Lock and Jacob Eason on the quarterback depth chart. Pete Carroll and John Schneider claim they aren't tanking and like Lock, but everyone who has watched Lock plays knows that he isn't a quality NFL starting quarterback.
Plus, Lock's gunslinging nature doesn't jive with the type of by-the-script quarterback Carroll prefers running his offense.
San Francisco 49ers
But the 49ers don't seem to want to trade Garoppolo in the division, and they have no leverage. Why would their arch-rival help them out when they could just wait for the 49ers to either have to cut Garoppolo or keep him on the roster and hamper the start of the Trey Lance era? A Seahawks deal just doesn't seem like it's in the cards.
As for the Texans, they appear willing to give Stanford's Davis Mills a real shot to prove he's a franchise guy this season. While the New England ties run deep in Houston, it seems like Garoppolo only heads to the Texans if the 49ers cut him and take the L.
That leaves us with the Panthers, a team desperately searching for a quarterback who can achieve owner David Tepper's Super Bowl dream. Carolina chased after a Matthew Stafford trade last season but lost out, which forced the Panthers to trade for three draft picks.
That didn't work out, and now the Panthers are searching for a new quarterback and someone willing to take Darnold and his $18.58 million guaranteed salary off their hands. Good luck with the second part.
While most people see the Panthers as the likely landing spot for Garoppolo, I don't see the pieces fitting.
The 49ers, according to reports, are asking for something in the neighborhood of one to two second-round picks for Garoppolo. There's some negotiating room there, but that's the framework.
Carolina doesn't have a second- or third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They have the No. 6 pick, a fourth, and two fifth-round picks. The Panthers just gave up three draft picks to get Darnold, so it's unlikely a team with needs at multiple positions will be giddy about surrendering one or two second-round picks for a 30-year-old quarterback coming off shoulder surgery. That's especially true if the Panthers plan to draft Malik Willis at No. 6 overall, as many believe they will, as the future of the franchise.
As far as compensation in a Garoppolo trade, there's also the fact Ryan only fetched a third-round pick. Ryan is more durable and accomplished than Garoppolo, so it seems unlikely that the Panthers, or any team, will meet the 49ers' reported asking price.
Carolina also is coming off three straight five-win seasons. After missing out on the Deshaun Watson trade, the Panthers' best course of action might be to try and build something and not cut the line.
There's also the issue of Darnold and his $18.58 million fully-guaranteed salary. Should the Panthers trade for Garoppolo, they'd have to find a taker for Darnold just one year after they gave up three draft picks to get him. With four years of subpar to downright ghastly play on tape, Darnold is a sunk cost, and there's little chance any team will willingly take him off the Panthers' hands and pay that salary.
The 49ers wouldn't be interested in taking back Darnold even if the Panthers ate a chunk of his salary. San Francisco guaranteed Nate Sudfeld's $2 million contract, which signaled they intend to have him back up Lance next season. The 49ers also would like to re-allocate Garoppolo's money to contract extensions for Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa. Taking on any amount of Darnold's money doesn't fit with the plan.
RELATED: How Jimmy G's shoulder injury is impacting trade value
Would Carolina really carry Garoppolo ($25.5 million) and Darnold ($18.58 million) on its roster? Realistically, that's almost certainly not an option.
The 49ers don't have to trade Garoppolo now. Frankly, they are low on options and would be best served to wait until OTAs or training camp when a need might arise. If the 49ers still aren't getting a lot of interest by then, San Francisco could cut Garoppolo or restructure his contract to lower the cap hit and keep him as a backup. That seems like an untenable situations for both sides, though.
For now, the 49ers and Garoppolo are in a holding pattern. The market has dwindled. A Seahawks deal is unlikely, the Texans aren't looking to surrender draft capital, and it's hard to see a deal with the Panthers working out.