There could be a 49ers reunion in Houston next season.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported Tuesday, citing sources, that there is “a push within the building” for the Texans to sign former San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jones also reported the Texans' plan would be to select a quarterback in the first round of the upcoming draft and have him learn from Garoppolo, who would start under center in the 2023 NFL season.
The Texans own the No. 2 and No. 12 overall picks in the draft, and they are searching for a quarterback of the future after 2021 third-round pick Davis Mills failed to live up to expectations last season.
There are plenty of familiar faces currently residing in Houston that once worked in the Bay Area. The Texans hired 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their head coach in January. Ryans brought along 49ers defensive quality control coach Stephen Adegoke as the Texans' new safeties coach and hired San Francisco passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik as Houston's offensive coordinator.
Slowik served on coach Kyle Shanahan's staff for six seasons, working closely with Garoppolo since the quarterback arrived in the Bay in 2017.
San Francisco 49ers
“We have a process everything we go through,” Slowik said Wednesday [h/t Aaron Wilson]. "Jimmy is obviously part of that process. He's going to be a free agent. We have conversations. [Texans general manager] Nick [Caserio] and DeMeco lay out a plan. We'll see where that takes us."
Garoppolo is no stranger to the mentorship role in the quarterback room. The 49ers drafted Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 and sat him second on the depth chart to learn from Garoppolo for a full season.
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Lance always made it clear that he appreciated Garoppolo's leadership.
“Yeah, I've said a million times, Jimmy is one of the best teammates and leaders I've ever been around," Lance said last January after making his second career start. "So for me to have him, I know he's got my back on the sideline, whether good play or bad. He's the first one that is talking to me and making sure that we're seeing things the same way. So it's a huge help to me. Huge confidence booster, just that I know that he's another guy that's got my back."
Garoppolo is looking for an opportunity to start at quarterback next season. A 49ers reunion in H-town could be his path to the top of the depth chart.