Does Any Chance Remain Of Seahawks adding Jimmy Garoppolo?

The Seahawks have been tied to a few quarterbacks this offseason, but after passing on adding a signal caller in April’s draft, they still have Drew Lock and Geno Smith atop the depth chart heading into training camp this week.

Despite the Seahawks appearing comfortable with Lock and Smith competing for the starting spot, many national media members are adamant that Seattle will make a move for a new quarterback. With Baker Mayfield having been traded from Cleveland to Carolina, that leaves one veteran quarterback as an option to change teams: San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019 and an appearance in the NFC Championship last season, but he is expected to move on from San Francisco after five seasons with 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance taking over as the team’s new starter at quarterback.

Despite national media members being very confident Garoppolo will wind up being traded to the Seahawks, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard isn’t buying it, as he explained Friday on The Mike Salk Show on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

“I don’t think it’s going to change… San Francisco’s view on it, and I don’t see Seattle trading for Jimmy Garoppolo and taking on that contract,” Huard said. “I don’t know if those national guys are taking those two things into account or just looking at it and saying from a pure talent and experience standpoint, and (because) obviously Jimmy’s going to become available and this seems to be the landing spot save for Cleveland … But aside from Seattle, there just are not many other good fits.”

It’s easy to see why the Seahawks would rather wait in hopes Garoppolo is cut and becomes a free agent rather than make a trade while he’s tied to his expensive contract, as well as the fact that you’d be dealing future draft picks to acquire him.

From San Francisco’s standpoint, there are a few key factors that could have the franchise pausing on trading Garoppolo to Seattle. One is that the two teams are in the NFC West, and Huard doesn’t think the 49ers would want to help out a division rival it will face twice in 2022.

If Garoppolo, who is currently on the mend from an offseason shoulder surgery, is traded sooner rather than later, it would help out whichever team he’s dealt to because he’d be in the building and learning the playbook sooner. And as noted earlier, training camp for the Seahawks begins Thursday.

“Would San Francisco want to trade Jimmy Garoppolo to Seattle, even this month? Or (would they consider doing so later in the offseason)?” Huard said, pointing to the end of August just before the season begins.

As far as the 49ers not wanting to trade Garoppolo to a division rival, Mike Salk said he doesn’t think that should matter too much because San Francisco has decided Lance is its guy going forward. He also pointed to the New England Patriots trading Drew Bledsoe to division foe Buffalo in the early 2000s when it was clear Tom Brady would be the team’s starter.

Jimmy Garoppolo Next Team:

+275: Seahawks
+400: Texans
+500: Giants
+800: Buccaneers
+1000: Dolphins, Browns
+1200: Saints, Falcons pic.twitter.com/lOGGPH1jQT

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) July 22, 2022

“Why wouldn’t the 49ers do the same thing unless their guy was a complete joke?” Salk asked.

Simply put, there are too many unanswered questions about Lance right now, Huard said.

“(The 49ers) don’t know about their guy,” he said. “(The Patriots) did that after Tom Brady won a Super Bowl with them, I believe. I don’t think he did that before then. So they don’t know about their guy (Lance) completely. They don’t know what’s going to happen this next month from an injury standpoint. I already heard he (Lance) has got dead arm or something ridiculous. They don’t know those situations. There’s too many factors at play.”

Additionally, Huard doesn’t see the 49ers looking out for the best interest of Garoppolo or whichever team he’s dealt to.

“They’re just not going to do that. That’s not good business. It’s not what NFL teams do,” he said. “You say that all the time, there’s got to be other decision-makers involved in some of these processes because each GM and each coach have to look out for their own job and their own team. And that is what I think San Francisco is gonna do until Aug. 30, because that’s in the best interest of them.”

As far as the Seahawks go, Huard still hasn’t seen “any indicators” this offseason that they’re wanting to add to the QB room since they passed on Mayfield and other quarterbacks in the draft.

“I’m not seeing any indicators that have led me to believe that they’re gonna go in any other direction than giving Geno and Drew the opportunity to compete (for the starting job) moving forward,” he said.

Brandon Gustafson is a writer for Seattle Sports, a sister station to Sactown Sports. Follow him at @TheBGustafson.

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