Jimmy Garoppolo's Return to San Francisco Makes 49ers a Safe NFL Futures Bet
By Joe Summers
After a full year of speculation that the San Francisco 49ers would trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the franchise shocked the NFL world by resigning its long-time signal caller.
The #49ers and QB Jimmy Garoppolo are finalizing a new contract that will make him the highest paid backup in the NFL, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. A solution that keeps Jimmy G on the roster while making clear it’s Trey Lance’s team going forward. pic.twitter.com/HZJf5Zc48m
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2022
Make no mistake: this is Trey Lance's team now. You don't mortgage your future draft pick capital to select Lance to then sit him for two seasons, but Garoppolo's presence helps the 49ers both in the short-term and long-term.
What may be less obvious though, is how the move makes San Francisco one of the safest NFL futures bets ahead of the 2022 regular season.
49ers Super Bowl Odds
The San Francisco 49ers are listed at +1600 to win the Super Bowl and +700 to win the NFC over at WynnBET Sportsbook. Despite what could be most kindly described as mediocre quarterback play from Garoppolo, the 49ers still made two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl in the last three seasons.
They've still got one of the NFL's best defenses to pair with an elite play-caller in Kyle Shanahan and one of the best skill position groups in the league. George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel are a dangerous trio, and now Shanahan won't have the anchor named Jimmy bringing his club down.
Deebo Samuel in 2021:
— JAY® (@JayLGK) August 29, 2022
- 1,559 receiving yards
- 7 receiving TDs
- 502 rushing yards
- 9 rushing TDs
- 5th most receiving yards among all WR’s
- T-1st in total TD’s among all WR’s
- Most rushing yards as a WR in NFL HISTORY
Somehow only #19 on the top 100…let that sink in… pic.twitter.com/NaAZHzE6Vm
Even with that anchor though, the 49ers have been excellent! One of two things will happen now that Trey Lance is the quarterback:
Jimmy Garoppolo Impact on San Francisco 49ers
1. Trey Lance's electric playmaking ability frees Shanahan's creativity and propels San Francisco's offense to new heights.
2. Lance melts, the team goes back to Garoppolo and...still can make the Super Bowl. Not to mention, Lance's dual threat capability can lead to him getting injured more likely than traditional pocket passers, giving the Niners insurance against that as well.
It's a win-win situation for the 49ers, who already know they can compete with a bad quarterback. If Lance is good, or even dynamic, then the sky is the limit.
That makes San Francisco one of the safest futures bets in the league. They're quite possibly the only team in the NFL that could suffer a devastating quarterback injury and not miss a beat. Don't feel timid about betting on a team with quarterback starting for the first time. Instead, head on over to WynnBET knowing that the 49ers are in safe hands regardless.
Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.