SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo prepares to have surgery on his right shoulder, the question of when he will return to throwing is superseded only by the uncertainty over where he will be doing it.
Speaking to media at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Niners general manager John Lynch fielded questions about Garoppolo’s status after the quarterback’s decision to have surgery to repair the torn capsule in his throwing shoulder.
Garoppolo is expected to have that procedure done in the next week or so with a recovery that should allow him to resume throwing near the end of June or early in July, according to Lynch.
The question is where Garoppolo will be doing that throwing as the Niners prepare to trade him and turn the reins over to Trey Lance, whom they moved up to select No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
While Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan had mostly remained coy on the potential of dealing Garoppolo even after their loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, Lynch made it clear Wednesday that trade discussions are ongoing.
“A lot of people need or want quarterbacks right now and he’s obviously a guy they’d look at,” Lynch said. “So, yes, we have listened but he’s a part of us and he’s gonna work diligently to get back from this surgery. I haven’t even talked to Jimmy yet but it sounds like that’s the decision right now to go ahead and have that.”
When Garoppolo last spoke to reporters Feb. 1, he seemed more certain he would need surgery on the torn ligament in his right thumb but also indicated the shoulder could also require it. As it turned out, the thumb healed well enough to not need an operation but the right shoulder didn’t after he injured it in an NFC wild-card win against the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 16.
According to Lynch, multiple doctors recommended rest and rehab for Garoppolo’s shoulder to see if the pain and other symptoms would go away. When they didn’t, Garoppolo decided this week to move ahead with the procedure.
The extent to which Garoppolo’s surgery will affect and/or delay his trade market remains to be seen. The 49ers have stayed hopeful that an agreement could be reached before the new league year opens March 16, at which time it would become official. Such a move would bring the Niners about $25 million in salary-cap relief.
Lynch said Wednesday that his sense is the latest Garoppolo injury won’t play much of a part in a deal coming together. But Garoppolo’s injury history — he’s missed 25 starts because of various issues, including a torn ACL in 2018 — will likely play a significant role in the value the Niners can get back for him.
For what it’s worth, Garoppolo has a $7.5 million injury guarantee, which means the Niners would have to cover that if a trade doesn’t happen and they opt to release him. However, that guarantee contains an offset up to the full amount, so if Garoppolo signs elsewhere for that much or more, the Niners would be off the hook.
Not that anybody is expecting it to come to that.
“There’s always Plan A, Plan B, Plan C,” Lynch said. “We plan for all of that accordingly. Jimmy is a big part of what we’ve done. And like I said, he’s still a part of us and until that changes we feel blessed that he is. Right now, when we’re talking about his shoulder, I’m worried about that for the Niners and for Jimmy. As far as anything else, we have had some discussions with teams and we’ll continue to.”
That Lynch will be continuing those talks is good news for the Niners after he too had an opportunity make a big move in his career this offseason. Lynch, who left his job as a FOX color analyst for the 49ers in 2017, acknowledged Wednesday that he had been approached about a return to the broadcast booth.
The New York Post reported that Lynch met with Amazon about an analyst job that could have paid him around $15 million per year to work on its Thursday Night Football broadcasts. Lynch declined, citing his desire to remain on the competitive side of the NFL.
“It’s flattering when people who you respect so much show interest,” Lynch said. “You listen. But ultimately I made the decision, my family made the decision, that this is where my heart is at right now and that’s what I’ve always had guide me, so I’m happy to be here and that’s that.
“That is a lot of money though. I can’t believe they’re paying that much for people to talk football. It’s unbelievable.”