Report: 49ers give Jimmy Garoppolo permission to seek trade

The San Francisco 49ers have officially given QB Jimmy Garoppolo permission to seek a trade, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The news has been long awaited since the team selected QB Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and traded a king’s ransom to do it. However, Garoppolo remained the starter throughout Lance’s rookie season, helping lead the unit on to the NFC Conference Championship game in January. Their divisional rival, the LA Rams, defeated them by a three-point margin and went on to win Super Bowl 56.

The former second-round pick will be turning 31 this offseason and has just two seasons where he’s been active for more than six games. His 2021 season wasn’t without injury either, as the vet managed a thumb injury in his throwing hand followed by a shoulder injury that required surgery this offseason. Though he’s been cleared to start practicing, it’s not certain when he’ll be back at 100% and whether or not that could affect the market for a trade.