NFL Rumors: San Francisco 49ers Should Trade Jimmy Garoppolo, Sign Kirk Cousins, Says Analyst

The San Francisco 49ers might have found their quarterback for the next several years in Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the Niners have yet to secure a new deal from the former New England Patriots backup QB.

Before trading for Garoppolo, the 49ers were heavily linked to Kirk Cousins, who is now expected to hit the open market. And with Cousins set to become free to sign with any team in the offseason, the 49ers will have options if they fail to secure a new deal with Garoppolo.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch told KNBR that the negotiation with Cousins is a “complicated” process. He asked for patience from 49ers fans and expressed hope things will work out well for both parties.

Garoppolo is gauging the quarterback market before agreeing to a new deal from the 49ers, affecting San Francisco’s offseason plans. The Press Democrat’s Grant Cohn suggested that San Francisco should just trade Garoppolo and sign Cousins, who is their original QB target.

Garoppolo went undefeated in his first four games with the 49ers. However, Cohn pointed out that trading Garoppolo is still the best move to make for San Francisco.

The 49ers can sign Garoppolo to the franchise tag then move him to a quarterback-needy team. Because of Garoppolo’s unscathed record, several teams are expected to express interest in acquiring the 26-year-old quarterback.

Cohn named the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos among the teams who might be willing to cash in for Garoppolo. The 49ers could get at least two future first-round picks from these teams, while also putting themselves in a good position to sign Cousins.

Cousins is more familiar with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s system, having worked together in Washington for six seasons. It is the reason why Cohn thinks Cousins is the better quarterback for San Francisco. By trading Garoppolo, they will even get picks, which they can also use to acquire position players in the draft or in trades.

But while Cohn is convinced that getting picks and Cousins makes more sense than breaking the bank for Garoppolo, Niner Noise’s Logan Stanley thinks otherwise. He pointed out the 49ers should not trade the four-year veteran just because they think he will leave once his contract is up.

Stanley added that Garoppolo managed to lead San Francisco to four wins “with barely a month’s worth of preparation” with his new teammates. An entire offseason of training with the 49ers will most likely make Garoppolo a bigger threat, which could lead to a possible Super Bowl run for San Francisco.