Jimmy Garoppolo’s Agent Denies ‘False’ Bucs Report; Says QB is Recovering Well From Shoulder Surgery

In the aftermath of the Baker Mayfield trade, the next quarterback most likely to be moved is Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers’ front office had originally planned to move their veteran signal-caller early in the offseason, but shoulder surgery in March put Jimmy G, and any trade talks, on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Well, it’s the future now and with the 49ers’ training camp opening on July 26th, the rumor mill around Garoppolo has started up once again.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday morning the expectation within the NFL continues to be that Jimmy G is traded by the end of the month. One of the rumored teams interested in his services is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are looking for a long-term replacement once Tom Brady finally decides to retire for good.

A view into Jimmy Garoppolo’s “trade market.” https://t.co/ZDgcKgeDwi

— Rob “Stats” Guerrera (@StatsOnFire) July 11, 2022

NFL Insider Dan Sileo, who originally reported the rumor Friday, had this to say on the matter:

“I know Don Yee very well. Don Yee is the representative for Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. That so-called angst between them in New England, that was made up by the media. Those two guys are dear friends. The animosity was more toward Bill Belichick than it was toward Garoppolo. Brady and Garoppolo text each other all the time and are friends. They have the same agent. Those two guys are in constant communication.

“And Jimmy Garoppolo is not going to be ready for training camp. Who in their right mind thinks that Garoppolo is going to be in camp? He just started throwing two weeks ago. You think Garoppolo is going to be ready to go to training camp in two weeks when he just started throwing two weeks ago? He may be able to throw the ball around a little bit, but to go through organized scrimmages and then exhibition games? You’re out of your freaking mind.

“This would be the ultimate slap in the face to Belichick if Brady retires and Garoppolo is the heir apparent, but they do it in Tampa and not New England. This was supposed to be the plan in New England, not in Tampa Bay.

“So here’s what’s being thrown around. Don Yee doesn’t want to trade Garoppolo to a back up position. However, Garoppolo’s shoulder injury put him in that room. He’s not going to be ready for the start of the regular season in September. He probably will miss the first four games anyway.

“Deshaun Watson’s news is going to dictate what happens to Garoppolo. Garoppolo has two teams on the table right now that are trying to throw some deals together. The Buccaneers would love to have Jimmy G in Tampa as the heir apparent. So Garoppolo would go to Tampa as the backup and once Brady leaves, there’s Jimmy G with a ready-made team again like he had in San Francisco and in New England. It’s a no-brainer.”

Pelissero reached out to Yee over the weekend to confirm said rumors, while also asking about his client’s recovery and preparation for the upcoming NFL season.

“He’s progressing well and on schedule,” Yee said. “We’re optimistic about the upcoming season. Over the weekend, a report came out that asserted that I had spoken to a media member about his future, but the report was false.”

I asked #49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s agent, Don Yee, about Garoppolo’s shoulder, the status of trade talks and a radio host’s recent comments that the #Bucs had reached out about acquiring Jimmy G as the heir apparent (again) to Tom Brady. Yee’s response: pic.twitter.com/kINdUZR9qK

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 11, 2022

Don’t take his rebuttal to heart as agents tend to protect their clients from exposing any information regarding current or future trade talks. Nevertheless, the 49ers have remained steadfast on trading Jimmy G and his non-guaranteed $24.2 million base salary this offseason, rather than cutting him. The Bay Area team doesn’t have to make a deal until the start of the regular season as his inclusion on the 53-man roster would guarantee the final year of his contract.

With training camps starting up soon and preseason on the horizon, a trade would most likely arise if/when a preseason injury puts a team in desperate need of a starting-caliber QB. Should said situation materialize, there’ll be an increased market for Garoppolo.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Follow @AmilianoFragoso

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