Shoulder surgery reportedly nixed Commanders-49ers Jimmy Garoppolo trade

The Washington Commanders have made one thing abundantly clear since they acquired Carson Wentz this offseason; Wentz is somewhere he’s wanted. While that may be true, the Commanders reportedly had their sights set on another quarterback before pivoting to Wentz: Jimmy Garoppolo.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Commanders and San Francisco 49ers had the parameters of a trade in place during the NFL Combine to send Garoppolo to Washington for multiple draft picks.

Before the trade could become official, though, Garoppolo decided to undergo shoulder surgery on his throwing shoulder that knocked him out of commission for several months.

The Commanders obviously couldn’t sit around waiting for Garoppolo to get healthy, so they quickly moved for Wentz, per Schefter.

The Commanders reportedly would’ve acquired Jimmy Garoppolo if the QB didn’t undergo shoulder surgery.

On one hand, this report isn’t all that surprising. If you remember this offseason, Ron Rivera was outspoken about Washington doing its due diligence on every available quarterback. One report even claimed they called the Chiefs about Patrick Mahomes. They also offered three first-round picks to Seattle for Russell Wilson, but the Seahawks were reluctant to trade Wilson within the conference.

The only surprising nugget is that Garoppolo was ahead of Wentz on Washington’s quarterback wishlist. If memory serves me right, most Commanders fans were adamant about wanting Wentz’s big arm and ability to expand Scott Turner’s playbook over Garoppolo, who’s been more of a game manager in his career.

49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters earlier this month that San Francisco was in “serious talks” with two or three teams. Garoppolo himself confirmed that he was close to being traded.

It would appear the Commanders are that team. It’s unclear what other clubs attempted trading for Garoppolo, but ESPN understands the Browns were prepared to go all-in on Garoppolo had the 49ers cut him in light of Deshaun Watson being handed an11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Garoppolo’s shoulder surgery knocked him out until training camp. The idea of giving a new quarterback a month to learn the offense and develop chemistry with defense is preposterous, even for a veteran with Jimmy G’s experience, so Washington pivoted to Wentz, who was present for the start of OTAs.

The Commanders are currently reaping the benefits of that decision. Through two games, Wentz ranks second in the NFL in passing yards (650), tied for the most touchdowns (seven) and sixth in passer rating (100.3).

At the end of the day, the timing of this report is the only surprise factor. The Commanders inquired about several quarterbacks. It’s a little stunning Garoppolo was so high on their shopping list, but it’s really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.