It’s pretty clear based on the fact that the 49ers didn’t give Jimmy Garoppolo a playbook this preseason, that the decision to bring him back wasn’t always the plan.
So when did things change? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, only four or five days ago.
“I’d say about four or five days ago, conversations picked up between Jimmy Garoppolo’s agents and the 49ers about him possibly staying,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football.”
“First of all no trade market materialized. They would have loved to trade him in March, he had shoulder surgery, they were not able to do that. They still might actually be able to trade him this offseason because they cut his salary down to $6.5 million fully guaranteed…This basically allows them to hold onto him and maybe trade him later this season.”
It’s true no trade market materialized, but that’s been the case for a while. Rapoport implied that the 49ers wanted more Trey Lance insurance as the preseason went on.
“What this also does is give them some insurance in case Trey Lance either gets injured or simply is not what you want. He’s been a little up and down I think it’s fair to say in training camp, meanwhile Jimmy Garoppolo has been off to the side working on the rehab field, getting his arm in shape.”
