The San Francisco 49ers have officially given quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo permission to seek a trade, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Garoppolo has been a subject of trade speculation since the offseason began, but a shoulder surgery left the signal-caller in limbo. He was expected to be involved in the flurry of quarterback movement in March, but 49ers general manager John Lynch said his injury caused interested teams to look elsewhere. Despite stalled trade talks, Lynch said he doesn't plan to cut Garoppolo.
The 30-year-old has been cleared to start practicing as the 49ers prepare for the start of training camp next week, Schefter adds.
San Francisco was widely expected to part ways with Garoppolo and turn to second-year passer Trey Lance under center. Lance joined the team last year as the third overall pick in the draft but logged only two starts as a rookie.
Garoppolo has one year left on his current contract, which would be a $26.95-million hit against the 2022 salary cap. The 49ers would gain $25.55 million in cap space by trading or releasing Garopplo while taking on $1.4 million in dead money.
The 2014 second-round pick posted a 9-6 record as a starter in 2021 while tossing 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also helped San Francisco reach the NFC title game for the second time in three campaigns, but he finished the playoffs with only two touchdowns to three interceptions.
Garoppolo, who owns a 31-14 regular-season record with the 49ers, has missed 25 games due to injury since 2018.
Reports have recently linked Garoppolo to the Seattle Seahawks, who've apparently had internal discussions about acquiring the veteran quarterback. The Cleveland Browns aren't expected to pursue Garoppolo despite Deshaun Watson awaiting a ruling from the NFL on a potential suspension, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
