Jimmy Garoppolo won’t be with 49ers as offseason conditioning program begins

Jimmy Garoppolo will not be taking part in the San Francisco 49ers’ offseason conditioning program.

As he works his way back from an injured throwing shoulder, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is not going to be taking part in the team’s offseason conditioning program.

Garoppolo is in the final year of his contract with the 49ers. With expectations being on the 49ers to hand over the reins to the offense to second-year pro Trey Lance in short order, there is a chance Garoppolo does not take another snap for San Francisco. Once he gets back to good physically, Garoppolo becomes a prime trade candidate for the 49ers front office this offseason.

While he is being a good sport about it, it is abundantly clear the 49ers are going to move off him.

Jimmy Garoppolo not taking part in 49ers’ offseason conditioning program

Though the 49ers know what they have in Garoppolo, it is paramount for Lance to have the best offseason of his life. He may only be entering his second professional season out of North Dakota State, but the sooner he looks to be the guy, the sooner the 49ers can get any sort of compensation for the viable trade asset that is Garoppolo. If Lance stinks, then that is a problem.

Lance may have had the highest ceiling of any of the five quarterbacks taken in the first round last spring, but he is by far and away the most raw of the quintet. Mac Jones was the most pro-ready and it showed, as he had a fantastic rookie year in New England. As for Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, they had to make do of playing games for poorly-run NFL franchises.

Ultimately, the 49ers are going to do right by Garoppolo here because he has been a professional throughout. His robust injury history is what has made him expendable in his early 30s. However, if he goes to the right spot, he can continue to be a top-half starting quarterback in the league. More importantly, he is a quarterback teams can count on to be ready for the big stage in January.

While Garoppolo will not be there in-person for the offseason program, it is understandable.