NFL rumors: 49ers’ asking price for Jimmy Garoppolo is a first-round pick

The 49ers would like to get something for Jimmy Garoppolo if they can, but their asking price is pretty steep.

Depending on the direction they go with the No. 3 overall pick, Jimmy Garoppolo may actually be the San Francisco 49ers‘ starting quarterback come Week 1. If they do part with him, a trade is certainly preferable to cutting him.

On Friday, NFL Network’s Michael Giardi spoke about the 49ers’ asking price for Garoppolo after touching on any lingering interest the New England Patriots might have.

Giardi says he’s hearing the 49ers’ asking price for Garoppolo is a first-round pick, which might be “too rich for the Patriots’ blood.” When also accounting for taking on Garoppolo’s salary for the next two years (should an acquiring team keep him that long), a first-round pick is patently unrealistic.

What are the 49ers thinking regarding Jimmy Garoppolo?

At first blush, setting a first-round pick as the price to trade for Garoppolo could look like an affirmation the 49ers are indeed willing to keep him as their starting quarterback. But if they’re willing to carry his cap hit through the offseason, they could play the waiting game and see if a team winds up needing a quarterback closer to the start of the season.

The latter approach has a grain of precedent. In 2016, with Sam Bradford in place as the starter, the Philadelphia Eagles moved up to draft Carson Wentz. Late that preseason, the Minnesota Vikings lost Teddy Bridgewater to a significant leg injury. The Eagles got a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick from the Vikings for Bradford on Sept. 3, 2016 and installed the rookie Wentz as their starter.

Waiting to do anything, absent a trade opportunity, could also become leverage for the 49ers to squeeze Garoppolo for a significant pay cut.

Over three full seasons with the 49ers, Garoppolo has missed almost as many games (23) as he’s started (25). He’s not someone who will fetch a first-round pick in a trade, at least until there’s a team who’s sufficiently desperate to do it. Still, here on April 2, the 49ers can dream.