Pros and cons of Commanders trading for Jimmy Garoppolo

It won’t be long now until the Washington Commanders appoint their new quarterback for 2022 and potentially beyond.

While it could still take another month, if not longer, it’s nice to be long removed from the dog days of the regular season when Taylor Heinicke, who doesn’t have an NFL arm to begin with, was trying to complete downfield passes off his back foot and making Terry McLaurin risk life and limb on underthrown deep balls.

If you’ve been following along, it’s clear Jimmy Garoppolo is the QB with the most links to Washington. Some sportsbooks have the Commanders as the odds-on favorite to acquire the 49ers starter, so the buzz appears legitimate.

At this point, Garoppolo seems like the most likely acquisition for Washington, so let’s review some pros and cons of trading for the 30-year-old.

Pros and cons of Commanders trading for Jimmy Garoppolo

Pro: Experience and success in playoffs

Much has been made about Garoppolo’s shortcomings in the postseason, but the last time we checked, he made more big-time throws than Aaron Rodgers in blizzard-like conditions at Lambeau Field in the Divisional Round.

You can actually peg Garoppolo’s playoff performance as a potential con given his struggles in the fourth quarter (the stats aren’t pretty), but we’re flipping it into a positive due to the fact that Washington hasn’t had a quarterback with playoff experience since Kirk Cousins in 2013 and 2016.

Say what you will about Garoppolo being a game-manager and being carried by the 49ers’ running game and strong defense, but it’s no accident he’s led the 49ers to a 4-2 playoff record and a Super Bowl appearance in six starts.

For an organization that’s cycled through inferior quarterbacks over the years, fans shouldn’t turn their nose up at Garoppolo’s playoff success. In terms of available QBs, only Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson have more postseason experience than San Francisco’s polarizing starter.