NFL exec has shocking take about Jimmy Garoppolo’s trade value

The start of the new league year is right around the corner, and the movement expected at the quarterback position could even top last year. The Washington Commanders are expected to play a big role in the carousel.

The only question is how big?

As the quarterback landscape starts to become more transparent, the Commanders’ potential options can be broken down into four tiers .In tier one, you have superstars Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson.

In tier two, you have above-average starters who could be had via trade, like Jimmy Garoppolo and Carson Wentz. The third tier, meanwhile, comprises of Jameis Winston, Mitchell Trubisky and other free agents, while the fourth features any of the top prospects from the incoming draft class.

Thus far, Garoppolo is the quarterback most heavily-linked to Washington. For a placeholder on an expiring contract who has an extensive track record of success in the NFL, it’s easy to connect the proverbial dots.

If it came down to it, we’d take Garoppolo as the team’s starting QB in 2022. However, if he costs anything close to what an anonymous NFL exec told The Athletic’s Ben Standig, then the 49ers can politely beat it.

The Commanders cannot trade a first-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo.

Here’s what Standig had to say in his bit about Garoppolo.

"One executive positively labeled Garoppolo a “functional starter,” a level he says doesn’t apply for several players who started games in 2021, like Washington’s Taylor Heinicke — and perhaps all of the 2022 QB draft prospects.The executive doesn’t think Garoppolo is worth the 11th selection or any first-round choice based on skill set and injury history. Yet he argued the Commanders could justify sending the pick to San Francisco should they concede none of the incoming passers are worthy of that selection. For a team that needs to win now, the veteran here trumps the unproven rookies."

Sorry, but trading the No. 11 overall pick for Garoppolo would be a fireable offense. That goes for Ron Rivera and the entire front office. The way we see it, Rodgers, Wilson, Watson and Derek Carr, who’s likely to return to the Raiders, are the only quarterbacks who should finagle a first-round pick(s) from the Commanders.

When it comes to Garoppolo, we’re fine with unloading a second-rounder (the No. 42 overall selection this year) for him. A first-rounder should be out of the question, and we’re not entirely sure how this exec came to this conclusion.

On another note, who exactly would Washington need to justify this to? If you have to legitimize making a trade, odds are you probably shouldn’t have made it in the first place. The bottom line is Garoppolo would be another placeholder; a bridge to another guy, maybe a draft pick, not THE guy.

You don’t need to be a general manager to know it’d be franchise malpractice to give up first-round picks for a stopgap quarterback. Despite being surrounded by a fantastic infrastructure in San Francisco, Garoppolo has made the playoffs twice in five years as the starter and has played in 46 of a possible 81 games.

Throw his limited arm strength and inability to pick apart a defense outside the pocket into account and you’ll (hopefully) come to the realization that Jimmy G would only be worth it at the right price, not this exec’s bizarre evaluation.

We can’t believe this is even a story, but perhaps the 49ers are trying to boost his trade value given they’ve lost nearly all their leverage with Trey Lance in the wings. Either way, it’s a ridiculous take and Commanders Twitter was right to collectively go off the deep end as soon as the report dropped.