Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is reportedly set to have three teams interested in his services this offseason.
The quarterback position is going to be the story of the NFL offseason. There are plenty of quarterback-needy teams this offseason, and just prior to the March 15 start to the 2023 league year, Derek Carr, Geno Smith, and Daniel Jones are officially off the board. In terms of free agency, one of the top options remaining is former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Despite leading the team to the NFC Championship Game in two of the past four seasons, the 49ers are moving forward without him for Trey Lance and Brock Purdy.
But which teams would be in the market for him?
According to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, and Carolina Panthers are teams likely to be interested in Garoppolo.
Raiders, Texans, Panthers likely to be interested in Jimmy Garoppolo
The Raiders are an obvious link for Garoppolo, considering his former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, Josh McDaniels, is the head coach in Las Vegas. The team moved on from Carr this offseason, and are looking to contend in a tough AFC West. Could Garoppolo be the quarterback they go with in 2023? Or would they pivot elsewhere?
Then there are the Texans, who hired former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their head coach. Not to mention that San Francisco’s passing game coordinator last year, Bobby Slowik, is the new offensive coordinator for the Texans. But, the Texans do hold the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which would put them in the running for one of the top quarterback prospects, who could potentially start in Week 1.
As for the Panthers, they have not had much luck at the quarterback position in recent years. Now, they have a new head coach in Frank Reich, whose specialty is working and getting the most out of the quarterbacks. Could they bring in a veteran like Garoppolo to lead the team to the playoffs in what has become a weak NFC South division?
With his future with the 49ers in doubt after the 2021 season, Garoppolo ultimately agreed to return to the team for one final year. The move turned out to be beneficial, as Lance fractured his ankle in Week 2, paving the way for Garoppolo to start their next 10 games, leading them to seven wins. However, in Week 13, Garoppolo broke his foot, which knocked him out for the remainder of the year.
In 11 games this past season, Garoppolo threw for 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions, while completing 67.2-percent of his passes.
While the league year officially begins on March 15, the free agency negotiation window opens up on March 13. Whether it happens during those dates or well afterwards, it will be interesting to see who Garoppolo ends up signing with, and if it would be with the Raiders, Texans, or Panthers.
