Fans will hate ESPN’s ‘NFL exec’ trade prediction for Washington

The Washington Football Team will have a new quarterback presiding over the offense next season. In a perfect world, the search will have concluded well before the start of OTAs and mandatory minicamp so said QB will have a full offseason to get acclimated to a new system and new teammates.

If we learned anything from Ron Rivera’s and GM Martin Mayhew’s end-of-season press conferences, it’s that Washington plans to swing big.

Trading for Aaron Rodgers would obviously qualify as a home run swing, but that looks increasingly unlikely for both Washington and the rest of the NFL after the Packers finished as the NFC’s top seed again.

There’s also Deshaun Watson, whom Rivera already revealed he’ll do his due diligence on, and Derek Carr, who’s future in Las Vegas will hinge on the team’s head coach (and likely general manager) hirings, as potential options.

Beyond them, Russell Wilson is reportedly keen on “exploring his options” this offseason after the Seahawks endured their first losing season with him under center and look way off the pace in an evolving NFC West.

Fans have their opinion on each of those stars, but they can seemingly all agree on not wanting Jimmy Garoppolo. Unfortunately, that’s exactly who ESPN has landing in Washington in its “NFL exec predictions” article for 2022.

Will the Washington Football Team trade for Jimmy Garoppolo?

Well, this definitely won’t agitate an already on-edge fan base. ESPN clearly has no regard for us trying to keep the peace around here.

In the annual article, multiple league executives and insiders predict 10 bold moves for the offseason with a focus on the QB position. Here’s why an anonymous NFC scout thinks Garoppolo will end up getting dealt to Washington.

"“I have some concerns about Garoppolo outside of the Kyle Shanahan offense, but Washington has some in-breaking stuff that would be similar,” the exec said. “It wouldn’t be as much of an issue if you can define throws for him.”“I don’t get the sense a return for Garoppolo would be that pricey, either. Some teams believe you shouldn’t have to give up a first-round pick for him because it’s known that San Francisco is probably ready to play Lance, thus hurting its leverage. Plus, his $24 million salary on the last year of his deal must be reworked. But Garoppolo has played well enough to garner at least a strong Day 2 pick.”"

While we think Garoppolo is better than some folks give him credit for, this quote proves our point from an article we published earlier in the week. The former second-round pick needs to have a system catered to him.

Like the scout said, it’s scary to think what Garppolo will look like outside of San Francisco. It’s genuinely impossible to think of a better fit for him than Kyle Shanahan’s exotic and run-oriented offense.

Getting beyond the rushing attack, Shanahan’s offense is also flush with playmakers who thrive after the catch (perfect for a game manager). Between Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, you’re probably talking about the most dynamic pass-catching arsenal in the league.

While Terry McLaurin is a stud and Curtis Samuel’s versatility could make him Washington’s version of Deebo Samuel (albeit a lesser version), San Fran’s playmakers, like Jimmy G, are very much a product of the system.

Do you really trust Garoppolo to accentuate their skillsets?

We haven’t even mentioned his clutch gene, or lack thereof. Just go watch the second half of Sunday’s Wild Card Game between the 49ers and Cowboys. San Francisco almost won in spite of their quarterback, who overthrew Aiyuk to potentially ice the game and tossed a pick that helped Dallas get back in it.

And finally, we get to Garoppolo’s injury history. He’s seemingly on the injury report every week and is even dealing with a shoulder sprain leading up to the 49ers’ Divisional Round matchup against Green Bay. We have not a clue when he suffered the injury, but is anyone actually surprised?

Since being traded to San Francisco in 2017, Garoppolo has appeared in 63 of a possible 81 regular season games.

Literally the only argument you can make for Washington to trade for Garoppolo is that he wouldn’t cost a lot. With Trey Lance waiting in the wings, the 49ers have lost all of their leverage, so he can likely be had for a Day 2 pick.

We don’t agree with the notion that most quarterbacks are a product of the system they play in, but Garoppolo is a clear exception.

If all else fails and Washington is backed into trading for him, this offseason can only be regarded as a swing and a miss.