Jimmy Garoppolo trade market: Here’s what Tony Romo thinks will happen once the 49ers QB shows he’s healthy

We are just weeks away from the start of training camp and Jimmy Garoppolo is still a member of the San Francisco 49ers. At the end of last season, it seemed like a certainty that Garoppolo would be traded this offseason with the Niners ushering in 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance. However, with the quarterback undergoing shoulder surgery back in March leaving him unable to throw for the bulk of the offseason, no deal has come to fruition yet. Garoppolo has remained on schedule in his recovery and recently began throwing again. 

During an appearance on the “Zach Gleb Show” on CBS Sports Radio, former Cowboys quarterback and CBS’ lead color analyst Tony Romo was asked for his assessment of the Garoppolo situation.

“The biggest thing is, he’s got to get healthy with his shoulder injury,” Romo said of his fellow Eastern Illinois alum in Garoppolo. “But, when he gets healthy, you’ll see teams coming in. Right now, the Niners I think are just staying pat. Because as soon as a quarterback gets injured in preseason or in camp, something usually happens where someone gets banged up, a little bit. You’ll see that’ll be when the value will go up, and the 49ers will get more value than they’re getting right now. I think that’s when they’re going to pull the trigger.”

One team that has been recently linked to Garoppolo, especially following the Baker Mayfield trade to Carolina, is the Seattle Seahawks. The club has reportedly discussed the possibility of adding him into the mix as they search for a new starter after trading Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Of course, given that both the 49ers and Seahawks play in the NFC West, pulling off a trade within the division at the quarterback position is particularly rare. Still, Romo doesn’t rule it out. 

“I can see [a Seattle trade],” he said. “But it’s usually rare because you’d have to be getting a lot more for that. You know this person knows your team, inside and out, and don’t necessarily want someone else in the division to have that kind of information or talent and that ability. … If they view him as a really talented guy but think Trey’s just a bit more talented, they probably won’t do that and trade him within the division. But if they view him not at that level, then that would be different.”

When healthy, Garoppolo has been able to lead his team to victory more often than not. He’s 33-14 over his career in the regular season and 4-2 in the playoffs, which includes trips to two NFC title games and Super Bowl LIV. However, injuries have drastically limited Garoppolo’s ability to stay on the field consistently, which is why the 49ers decided to move on and likely a big reason why teams aren’t exactly lining up to acquire him right now.