Opinion: 49ers can’t trade Jimmy Garoppolo to Cowboys

Jan 30, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo before the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys need a quarterback, but the QB who makes the most sense for a trade might not be available.

Dak Prescott suffered a hand injury late in his Cowboys’ 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. The Cowboys wasted no time announcing that Prescott needs surgery and will miss several weeks.

Although they lost in Week 1, it’s too early for the Cowboys to give up on the season and just roll with Cooper Rush for several weeks. They should be exploring a potential upgrade, which would start with calling San Francisco about Jimmy Garoppolo.

There is only one problem.

There is no way the 49ers can trade Garoppolo to the Cowboys.

Playing on a soaked field, 49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance went 13/28 for 164 yards with an interception. He rushed for 54 yards, and his 49ers lost 19-10 to the Bears.

Perhaps it’s unfair to completely evaluate Lance based on one game played in those conditions, but that was not a good start. The bottom line is San Francisco is unlikely to last the season with Lance as their starting quarterback, so keeping Garoppolo close by is a good idea for them.

There is another issue that complicates a potential Garoppolo trade to Dallas. It’s way too early in the season to evaluate both Lance and the 49ers. If this were Week 7 and the Niners were 1-6, trading Garoppolo would make plenty of sense. But at just 0-1 and with 16 games left, it’s too early to deal him.

Remember, Garoppolo has a no-trade clause and would have to approve a trade to Dallas. Would he approve a trade to somewhere where he needs to learn an entirely new offense to be ready to start immediately, or would he turn that down and bide his time until he replaces Lance?

The asking price for Garoppolo got much higher due to urgency from both sides. San Francisco can say Lance is their guy all they want, but they know they need Garoppolo. Dallas also knows that Garoppolo is the best option available. The price to acquire him in a trade just got a lot higher.