Kyle Shanahan did not mince words on the first day of training camp for the San Francisco 49ers.
Trey Lance is his starting quarterback, the head coach told reporters, and if not for offseason surgery, Jimmy Garoppolo would have been traded long ago.
Garoppolo passed his physical at the start of camp and will not be placed on the PUP list, seemingly clearing the way for an interested team to trade for him (or grab him once waived).
With a cap number of $27 million this season and a dead hit of only $1.4 million if he is released, it’s extremely unlikely that Garoppolo is on the 49ers’ roster heading into Week 1.
The more intriguing question: Where will he end up? DraftKings has handicapped the potential suitors, with intra-division foe the Seattle Seahawks being listed as the favorite, followed by the Houston Texans, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns.
Here is the full list of odds, as of July 27:
- Seahawks +275
- Texans +400
- Giants +500
- Browns +500
- Buccaneers +800
- Dolphins +1000
- Saints +1200
- Falcons +1200
- Raiders +2000
- Vikings +2000
- Lions +2000
- Bears +2000
- Titans +2000
- Rams +2500
- Jaguars +4000
- Cowboys +4000
- Chiefs +5000
- Packers +5000
- Bengals +5000
- Cardinals +5000
- Commanders +5000
- Jets +5000
- Patriots +10000
- Eagles +10000
- Chargers +10000
- Colts +10000
- Broncos +10000
- Panthers +10000
- Ravens +10000
- Bills +10000
- Steelers +10000
The Seahawks and Texans have the worst quarterback situations in the NFL, so it’s not a surprise to see them atop the list. Giants signal-caller Daniel Jones is in the final year of his contract, so that’s another one that makes sense, while the Browns could want an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett if Deshaun Watson is suspended for much or all of the season.
The Dolphins, Saints and Falcons all have unsettled long-term quarterback situations, so their placement among the favorites is also logical.
The longshots, though, might provide the best value. If a contender loses its quarterback for the season in training camp, Jimmy G is going to be a no-brainer addition to keep its title hopes from being squashed before the season begins.
It’s impossible to know if such a bad turn of events will affect someone, but it’s not unprecedented.
In 2016, the Vikings acquired Sam Bradford from the Eagles before the season because Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL in practice. In 2017, the Dolphins signed Jay Cutler for $10 million after starter Ryan Tannehill suffered a season-ending injury.
Teams like the Bills, Chargers, Colts, Ravens and Broncos would be crushed if their starting quarterback went down, but it would make sense to add Garoppolo if that happened. For many it would take some serious salary cap gymnastics if he came via trade, but it’s far from impossible.
Jimmy G is bound to be playing somewhere else in 2022, and bettors can now wager on where he ends up.
