49ers Need to “Sweeten” Jimmy Garoppolo Trade With Additional Assets

If the 49ers want to gain adequate value in a Jimmy Garoppolo trade, then they will need to "sweeten" the deal with additional assets.

Reeling in a nice haul for Jimmy Garoppolo looks bleak for the 49ers.

It was already an uphill battle to get anything better than a third-round pick for his services. Now that he is slated for shoulder surgery that will put him out of commission until July, his value takes a hit.

“Anytime you have surgery, it's not a minor deal,” said John Lynch Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine. “Anytime it's the throwing shoulder, I understand the significance, but it is described as a minor surgery and Jimmy is going to be fine. As for the trade, Jimmy's a part of us right now. A lot of people need or want quarterbacks right now and he's obviously a guy they'd look at."

Yes, John. A lot of people need quarterbacks, but NOT injury-riddled average quarterbacks with a $27 million salary cap hit. The 49ers are kind of screwed here to get any sort of adequate draft capital in a trade for Garoppolo. But all is not lost. There is one way the 49ers can salvage the deal to get something nice in return.

What the 49ers need to do is “sweeten” the deal in the Garoppolo trade with additional assets.

That means they’ll either have to throw in a draft pick, like one of their many mid-round picks, or throw in a player. This is what it’ll take for the 49ers to receive a third-round pick or higher for Garoppolo. And from a bird's eye view, it’s still a good deal for the 49ers.

Remember, it isn’t just the draft capital or whatever sweet they can get in return for Garoppolo. It is the salary cap space they will gain from kicking Garoppolo’s contract off the books. And with free agency just about two weeks away, they are going to need to act fast. Time is of the essence right now with getting a trade done. The 49ers need the freed up salary cap space by the time free agency rolls around. They will not be able to sign some talented free agents, or even their own, with Garoppolo still on the books.

Not even cutting him right now will be optimal as he will trigger a $7.5 million dead cap hit due to his injury guarantees. Although, it sounds like it is possible to erase that hit if Garoppolo signs a deal worth more than that. Still, that’s better than having hardly any room to sign players in free agency. The 49ers can always settle for lesser draft value and be happy to get anything for their injury-riddled average quarterback. But I don’t see how they will stomach that and make Garoppolo look bad.

Image is something these teams and players actually care about, so the 49ers wouldn’t want to disrespect Garoppolo and trade him for a sixth-round pick when they’ve propped him up the last 12 months. Although, I believe a sixth is just right for Garoppolo, but the 49ers wouldn’t go for it.

Maybe the 49ers can package one of their compensatory picks to get a second-round pick from a team? Or perhaps they will actually do what my editor Grant Cohn says (he’s nuts) and trade George Kittle? It’s tough to say who the 49ers would be willing to include in a trade with Garoppolo. 

You would have to first examine who they are willing to part with without much repercussions and that could actually entice a team. The only one I could possibly see that would make a team consider raising the price is Dre Greenlaw and that’s a stretch. Maybe a team inquiring would like a young talent like Trey Sermon or Deommodore Lenoir. But the best bet for the 49ers is to include another pick as it is the most alluring.

Regardless, there will need to be some sort of sweetener, some sort of kicker to fetch a better haul for Garoppolo.