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Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, now a contributor to The Athletic, does not like John Lynch’s recent statement that the San Francisco 49ers are happy in the 2021 season with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm. If so, he does not feel the team would call in the league to inquire about someone who might be available. Most assume that Lynch acts carefully as a free agency and approaches the concept quickly.
“They are too active, too aggressive to take it back another year with someone they do not fully trust,” Lombardi wrote this week.
Lombardi also does not buy into the fact that head coach Kyle Shanahan is interested in Teddy Bridgewater and doubts whether the 49ers inquired about the Carolina Panthers fullback. The report comes from Lombardi’s colleague with The Athletic, Joe Person.
“49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has never been a big Bridgewater fan during his time in Cleveland when Bridgewater was available in the draft,” Lombardi explained. “Shanahan is quite specific in what he wants because of the attack in the quarterfinals, and the qualifications do not match Bridgewater’s game.”
Lombardi was the general manager for the Cleveland Browns during Shanahan’s one season (2014) as the attacking coordinator there, which was also the year Bridgewater entered the league.
Lombardi is convinced that Shanahan is interested in adding a quarter, but not just any quarter. The author mentions two possible options that could convince the head coach to move from Garoppolo.
The first is Sam Darnold of the New York Jets.
“Why? Because Darnold fits the profile that Shanahan loves at the position: athletic, he can move left or right, and has the arm strength to make the defense defend every blade of grass on the field,” Lombardi wrote. “The 49ers could pick him up with a second round and then trade Jimmy G.”
Lombardi notes that the Jets want a high pick for the second round for Darnold, something in general of number 33-42. San Francisco owns the overall number 43.
This week, FS1 host Colin Cowherd weighed in on Lombardi’s comments on Darnold. Cowherd often stated that Darnold would fit well for Shanahan’s offense.
“If Jimmy Garoppolo had no injuries at all, they would not have moved away from him,” Cowherd said. The herd (h / t to Patrick Tulini). “He’s shown he’s good enough to get to the Super Bowl. He is a B-quarter talent who played like an A-minus quarter under Shanahan for a year, when he was healthy.
“Well, Darnold, if you ask any scout, he’s more athletic than Jimmy Garoppolo. He has better raw tools. He’s a little bigger, sly, more athletic, better poor than Garoppolo. So if Garoppolo can get to a Super Bowl , why can Darnold not?
It is noteworthy that there have been no official reports that the 49ers want to ‘move away’ from Garoppolo, and that so far nothing has been speculated. Yes, San Francisco inquired about Matthew Stafford and Carson Wentz. However, the team allegedly never made offers for any of them, and his interest in the former was described as ‘lukewarm’.
There’s another quarterback, who Lombardi thinks San Francisco would be even more interested in than Darnold. This, of course, creates a difficult situation. That means a possible game for Darnold could ruin the team’s chances at an even better option – Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans.
“Would San Francisco want Watson? Yes,” Lombardi adds. “Would they want Watson over Darnold? Again, yes. Would they regret trading for Darnold if they heard two days later that Houston accepted offers for Watson? Another big yes.”
For now, the 49ers seem satisfied with Garoppolo. However, some remain convinced that Lynch and Shanahan keep other quarterbacks on their radar – just in case.
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