The San Francisco 49ers sent shockwaves across the NFL on Friday when they moved way up in the first round of the draft. Many immediately assumed the trade effectively signaled the end of Jimmy Garoppolo’s tenure, but the Niners are insisting that is not the case.
The 49ers traded the No. 12 overall pick, two future first-round picks, and a future third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins to move up to third overall. That undoubtedly means they are targeting a quarterback, but general manager John Lynch says Garoppolo is not going anywhere.
Lynch told Steve Wyche of NFL Network that he called Garoppolo after the blockbuster trade was completed to assure him his future in San Francisco is safe.
The #49ers are keeping Jimmy Garoppolo, according to the team. @wyche89 says that John Lynch told him: "Yes we decided to go ahead and do this, once it was finalized the first thing we did was call Jimmy Garoppolo to let him know he's still in our plans."
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 26, 2021
Some will say that is merely posturing from Lynch. However, a source also told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Garoppolo is not being traded.
“Jimmy is here to stay. He’s our guy this year,” the source said.
Perhaps the Niners are comfortable enough with Garoppolo that they feel they won’t have to rush a rookie quarterback into action. Lynch also expressed confidence in Garoppolo earlier in the offseason.
Garoppolo has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he would have to sign off on any deal even if the 49ers changed their mind. We know of at least one team that has repeatedly been linked to Jimmy G., but apparently the Niners are not moving him … for now.
