(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Jimmy Garoppolo is on his way out of San Francisco, and he should have plenty of quarterback-needy teams interested in trading for him. The Steelers have often been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Garoppolo, and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com could see that coming to fruition. Brooks thinks the best fit for Garoppolo is in Pittsburgh.
"With Ben Roethlisberger hanging up the cleats after a historic 18-year run as the Steelers' franchise quarterback, the team is searching for a veteran leader to usher in a new era. Garoppolo would appear to be the right man for the job after serving as an apprentice under Tom Brady in New England before running the show at San Francisco," Brooks wrote. "The experience with Brady should help him handle the pressures of replacing a legend, while his time leading the 49ers gives him a unique perspective as the point man of an iconic franchise. As Mike Tomlin empowers offensive coordinator Matt Canada to fully install a creative offense built on a variety of collegiate-like concepts, including RPOs and jet sweeps, Garoppolo could light it up playing in a scheme that could mirror the Eastern Illinois system that produced fireworks. Considering the Steelers' current options at the position, a trade for Jimmy G could give the team the best chance to compete in a division loaded with young, dynamic quarterbacks."
Brooks also has the Commanders, Broncos, Dolphins and Saints as fits for Garoppolo.
According to FanSided National NFL Insider, Matt Lombardo -- the Buccaneers, Steelers and Broncos are expected to make a “strong push” to acquire Garoppolo. It's been reported that Garoppolo's agent Don Yee is already working on a trade partner with the 49ers.
The talk of the Steelers trading with the 49ers for Garoppolo has been mentioned frequently lately, as a lot of people see Garoppolo as a fit in Pittsburgh since Mike Tomlin is always coaching for the playoffs, and it's been reported by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports several times that Tomlin is interested in a veteran quarterback and not starting all over with a rookie.
Lombardo said on 93.7 The Fan on Friday that Tomlin is calling the shots and he prefers a veteran quarterback.
Lombardo also said that the asking price for the Steelers on Garoppolo is a second-round pick. Or a third-round pick and a player.
Garoppolo said he wants to be sent to a winning situation.
"I just want to go to a place where they want to win," Garoppolo said. "That's really what I'm in this game for. I'm here to play football, win football games and as long as I've got that and good people around me, I think the rest will take care of itself."
Garoppolo is definitely a better option than Mason Rudolph. You'll find no argument there, but he's on the books for over $25 million in 2022. That's a lot of money and draft capital to give up for a stop-gap quarterback. Garoppolo probably would get you nine wins and a playoff appearance, but he's not going to win the Steelers a Super Bowl. I just don't know if Tomlin and Kevin Colbert would want to invest that much into Garoppolo.
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