49ers insider Matt Maiocco jumped on with Papa & Lund Friday and hit a few notable 49ers topics.
First of course was the future of Jimmy Garoppolo, and the notion that the 49ers might have a trade parter with their old friend Mike McDaniel, now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
A reunion there would almost seem to make too much sense, but Maiocco believes it’s not actually a great fit.
“I don’t think any team that’s going to be acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo is saying ‘hey come in and compete,’” Maiocco said on KNBR. “I think it’s going to be ‘you’re the starter, and you’re the starter on your terms, meaning whenever you’re physically ready. We expect you to be ready Week 1 of the regular season. We’re willing to see you just be on the sideline and be in meetings and standing behind the first team offense as they are running plays in the offseason program and OTAs,’ but I just don’t think there’s a scenario where Jimmy Garoppolo goes to a place and is asked to compete.
“I think he’s going to be making starter’s money somewhere. I just think that’s the road that’s the most likely scenario. With the Dolphins, it sure sounds like Mike McDaniel wants the Tua (Tagovailoa) thing to work, and that he has a plan for him and is excited about that.”
The likelihood that McDaniel would prefer to have Garoppolo over Tagovailoa seems remote, especially with Tua still on his rookie deal. Teams where Garoppolo would be a day one starter, like Pittsburgh or Washington, seem to make more sense according to Maiocco.
Then there was the topic of free agency, specifically the future of run stuffer D.J. Jones who is coming off the best season of his career. Jones was ranked as the 18th best interior defensive lineman in the league last year according to Pro Football Focus.
Jones made just $1 million with the 49ers last year, but Maiocco believes he’s due for a payday too big for San Francisco to match this offseason.
“I think that everybody would want to have D.J. Jones back but I don’t think it’s realistic,” Maiocco said. “Unless the market crashes. I was a little surprised a year ago that D.J. Jones didn’t get a multi-year contract offer from another team. He came back to the 49ers and made decent money, but it was just a one-year deal.
“I would be shocked this year if teams didn’t watch the 49ers defense on those base downs and think ‘Wow, we could really use that guy.’ There’s a lot of teams out there that need to bulk up their run defense and I think D.J. Jones is really good in that area. I’m also a firm believer that D.J. Jones can be a three-down player. I think he has pass rush skills that were never really shown since he’s been with the 49ers. So if you’re asking me now about D.J. Jones, I think he’s gone.
“I think he’s going to make a big payday. Part of the reason the 49ers could say we’re going to move on is because of Javon Kinlaw. He’s apparently pain free, don’t know exactly what the time table is for him, but when the 49ers made that decision three years ago to select Javon Kinlaw, it was part of replacing DeForest Buckner, but also to cover their butts in case they needed somebody there.
“Now that Arik Armstead has slid inside, and Armstead-Kinlaw starting tackle tandem, that’s a pretty good group.”
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Catch Papa & Lund weekdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.
