Today I’m going to take a look at what teams have the cap room to trade for 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, & his $25.55 million salary cap number.
According to OverTheCap.com, currently, 10 teams would be able to make a deal for Garoppolo, but this of course can & will change with contract restructures, & cap casualties.
So, below are the 10 teams that can afford to make a trade for Garoppolo as of today, with their current projected cap space with at least 51 players signed.
Miami Dolphins – $56,172,293
Los Angeles Chargers – $49,026,792
Jacksonville Jaguars – $46,248,773
Cincinnati Bengals – $44,632,734
Indianapolis Colts – $37,896,904
New York Jets – $35,037,630
Seattle Seahawks – $34,670,761
Denver Broncos – $31,787,469
Pittsburgh Steelers – $28,008,681
Washington Commanders – $27,241,428
Now, right away we can rule out the Chargers, Jaguars, Bengals, & Jets, as they all have young quarterbacks that they’ve recently drafted in the 1st-round, along with the Seahawks, as they have Russell Wilson, and besides a trade between the 49ers & Seahawks would never happen.
That leaves, the Dolphins, Colts, Broncos, Steelers, & Commanders as the teams with enough cap room to make a deal happen as of today.
As for what the 49ers could potentially receive as compensation, it’s anyone’s guess, but below are each team’s current projected picks.
Miami Dolphins:
1st-round pick, 29th-overall (via San Francisco 49ers)
2nd-round pick, 50th-overall
3rd-round pick, 101st-overall (via San Francisco 49ers)
4th-round pick, 119th-overall (via Pittsburgh Steelers)
4th-round pick, 123rd-overall
5th-round pick, 157th-overall
7th-round pick, 221st-overall (via Houston Texans through New England Patriots & Baltimore Ravens)
Indianapolis Colts:
2nd-round pick, 47th-overall
3rd-round pick, 82nd-overall
4th-round pick, 120th-overall
5th-round pick, 158th-overall
5th-round pick, 177th-overall (Compensatory Pick for losing Denico Autry)
6th-round pick, 216th-overall (Compensatory Pick for losing Jacoby Brissett)
7th-round pick, 236th-overall
7th-round pick, 237th-overall (via Philadelphia Eagles)
Denver Broncos:
1st-round pick, 9th-overall
2nd-round pick, 40th-overall
2nd-round pick, 64th-overall (via Los Angeles Rams)
3rd-round pick, 75th-overall
3rd-round pick, 96th-overall (via Los Angeles Rams)
4th-round pick, 113th-overall
5th-round pick, 144th-overall (via Detroit Lions)
5th-round pick, 151st-overall
6th-round pick, 204th-overall (via Philadelphia Eagles)
7th-round pick, 231st-overall (via Detroit Lions)
7th-round pick, 247th-overall (via San Francisco 49ers)
Pittsburgh Steelers:
1st-round pick, 20th-overall
2nd-round pick, 52nd-overall
3rd-round pick, 84th-overall
4th-round pick, 137th-overall (Compensatory Pick for losing Bud Dupree)
6th-round pick, 189th-overall (via Kansas City Chiefs)
7th-round pick, 222nd-overall (via New York Jets)
7th-round pick, 238th-overall
Washington Commanders:
1st-round pick, 11th-overall
2nd-round pick, 42nd-overall
3rd-round pick, 73rd-overall
4th-round pick, 111th-overall
6th-round pick, 187th-overall
7th-round pick, 227th-overall
Of the 5 teams(Dolphins, Colts, Broncos, Steelers, & Commanders), I can see the Broncos acquiring Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers, if Rodgers decides he wants out of Green Bay.
It’s unsure if the Dolphins want to move on from current quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but there’s also a chance they go after Houston Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson, so it’s really unknown if the Dolphins would have interest in Garoppolo, unless current 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel lands the Dolphins head coaching gig.
Also, it’s unsure if the Colts, who traded for Carson Wentz last offseason, would be willing to move on from him, especially after they traded away a conditional 2nd-round pick, which ended up turning into a 1st-round pick, plus head coach Frank Reich, up until he got the Colts’ head coaching job, was Wentz’s offensive coordinator with the Eagles.
Now, the Commanders have just 1 quarterback under contract, Taylor Henicke, while backups Kyle Allen, & Garrett Gilbert are pending restricted free agents, but I think they’d be a very potential landing spot for Garoppolo, plus they have some good weapons, such as wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, & Dyami Brown, along with a very good defense, with the likes of defensive lineman Jonatan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, Chase Young, & Montez Sweat, 2021 1st-round linebacker Jamin Davis, & cornerback William Jackson III, so they could be a very appealing team for Garoppolo.
And for the Steelers, long time starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn’t likely to be back, their only quarterback they have under contract is Mason Rudolph, but they could be an appealing destination, with a very good head coach in Mike Tomlin, solid weapons in wide receiver Chase Claypool, & Diontae Johnson, 2021 1st-round running back Najee Harris, 2021 2nd-round tight end Pat Freiermuth, plus young defensive stars like EDGE rusher T.J. Watt, linebacker Devin Bush, and veteran defensive stars like defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, & Cameron Heyward, linebacker Joe Schobert, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
So, of the 5 teams with the cap room to make a deal, I think the Dolphins, Steelers & Commanders are the most likely destinations for Jimmy Garoppolo, so what picks would these 2 teams be willing to part with for Jimmy?
If the 49ers have a chance to get a 1st-round pick, then it’s likely to be from the Dolphins, as they actually own the 49ers 1st-round pick, the 29th-overall pick, while the Steelers own the 20th-overall pick, and the Commanders have the 11th-overall pick, both of which I can’t see the 49ers getting for Garoppolo, which means the most likely way for the 49ers to get a 1st-round pick is from the Dolphins.
So, the most logical compensation would be multiple day 2 picks, with the Dolphins owning their 2nd-round pick, 50th-overall, & the 49ers 3rd-round compensatory pick, the 101st-overall pick, for losing Robert Saleh.
As for the Steelers, they own their own 2nd-round pick, 42nd-overall, & their own 3rd-round pick, 84th-overall.
And the Commanders own their own 2nd-round pick, 43rd-overall, & their own 3rd-round pick, 73rd-overall.
Now I doubt the 49ers will get both 2nd-round, & 3rd-round picks from either of the 3 teams, so I can see the 49ers getting 2 2nd-round picks, similar to what they got for Alex Smith back in 2013, with 1 in 2022, & 1 in 2023, or potentially some combinations of a 2nd-round pick, 3rd-round pick, and a day 3 pick, either in the 4th-round or 5th-round range.
Now if for some reason the Broncos don’t land Aaron Rodgers, I can see the 49ers getting the Broncos higher 2nd-round pick, 40th-overall, and their 3rd-rounder, that they received from the Rams in the Von Miller trade, which is the 96th-overall pick, it’s also possible they could get a day 3 pick, likely one of the Broncos 5th-round picks, either their pick from the Lions, 144th-overall, or their own, 151st-overall.
Could the 49ers get more? Not likely, even though Garoppolo had a good season, finishing with 3,810 passing yards, a 68.3 completion percentage, 20 passing touchdowns, along with 3 rushing touchdowns, it’s just unlikely, with his injury concerns, any team trading for him won’t give up a ton, or they could trade for a conditional pick or 2.
Now if the Saints are able to get out from underneath salary cap hell, where they’re projected to be $75,993,406 over the 2022 salary cap, they could be a team to watch out for, as they only have 1 quarterback, Taysom Hill under contract for 2022, while Jameis Winston, who tore his ACL, is an unrestricted free agent.
Now, the Saints own the following draft picks for 2022.
1st-round pick, 18th-overall
2nd-round pick, 49th-overall
3rd-round pick, 100th-overall (Compensatory Pick for losing Terry Fontenot to the Atlanta Falcons)
4th-round pick, 118th-overall
4th-round pick, 136th-overall (Compensatory Pick for losing Trey Hendrickson)
5th-round pick, 160th-overall
6th-round pick, 213th-overall (Compensatory Pick for losing Sheldon Rankins)
7th-round pick, 234th-overall
Again, like with the Broncos, & Commanders, I doubt the 49ers would get the Saints 1st-round pick, which means they could ask for the Saints 2nd-round pick, 49th-overall, their 3rd-round pick, 100th-overall, and maybe their 5th-round pick, 160th-overall.
Of course, like with the teams I mentioned earlier, the 49ers could end up getting a 2022 day 2 pick, & 2023 day 2 pick.
Now I don’t want to predict where Jimmy Garoppolo will land, but I think if it’s one of these teams, it’ll likely be either the Steelers, or Commanders.
And, with all of this said, I thank everyone for reading this article, as always you can follow me on Twitter @49erscap, or leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.
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