The quarterback trade carousel continues to spin with seemingly no way off for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll complicated things even further with comments this week indicating that the team is most likely not in the market for a veteran signal-caller this offseason.
“We’re always competing,” Carroll said during an interview with Sports Radio 93.3 KJR-FM in Seattle (h/t ESPN). “I'm not saying anything you didn't think I was going to say, but fortunately that's always been the way we've operated, and it fits again. So we're looking. I don't see us making a trade for anybody at all. I don't see that happening. But we're certainly going to continue to be open to chances to help our club, and meanwhile we're just going to be battling and competing our tails off. There's always possibilities, so we keep open to that."
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Carroll said plenty without really saying much at all, hinting that while anything could happen, a trade seems to be off the table.
During that same conversation, Carroll expressed confidence in Drew Lock, who came to the Seahawks from the Denver Broncos as part of the Russell Wilson transaction. With “no hesitation,” Carroll said Lock would have been the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“The first look at Drew, he’s really athletic, he’s really a confident athlete, you can see he’s got a lot of body control, he’s got quick feet, he’s got a quick arm, he’s got various ways he can release the football as his body’s in different positions,” Carroll said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “He’s got a real knack there. He’s got a strong arm, he can throw the ball a mile down the field. He compares to Geno, and Geno Smith has a great arm. He has a world-class arm, and all that. To match up with that, that’s saying a lot.”
The Seahawks currently have Lock and Smith as experienced quarterbacks on their roster. Undrafted rookie Levi Lewis of Louisiana has signed to the team’s 90-man roster, and Kaleb Eleby of Western Michigan is in Seattle’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player.
San Francisco 49ers
It’s not that San Francisco would necessarily complete a trade with their NFC West Rivals -- though it wasn't entirely out of the question -- but more so who will remain on the quarterback market should the Seahawks stick with Lock or Smith, or if Lewis or Eleby pan out.
Along with Garoppolo, who the 49ers have been actively trying to ship off since the end of the 2021-22 season, Baker Mayfield is also a viable trade target thanks to his anticipated departure from the Cleveland Browns after they signed Deshaun Watson.
And there aren’t many options left for the two veteran quarterbacks in search of new homes.
Seattle appears to have jumped off the carousel if Carroll’s comments mean anything, and the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Matt Corral after trading up in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
That could possibly leave the Houston Texans, who might be in search of a battle-tested backup to push second-year quarterback Davis Mills -- or even compete with him for the starting job.
There are plenty of reasons why Garoppolo to Houston would make sense, including Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who knows the quarterback well thanks to their time with the New England Patriots.
But Mayfield’s continued availability throws another wrench in the 49ers’ plans to trade their own veteran, which have already been foiled once by Garoppolo’s surgery on his throwing shoulder in March.
The beleaguered Browns quarterback said on the "YNK Podcast" in April that the Seahawks were “probably the most likely option” for him, and now that ship appears to have sailed -- although Carroll’s comments did leave Seattle some wiggle room.
Mayfield struggled through his own shoulder injury in 2021, just one season removed from leading Cleveland to its first playoff victory in 26 years. Before requesting a trade this offseason, Mayfield and the Browns finished with a losing record and missed the postseason.
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The situation between Garoppolo and the 49ers’ front office appears to be much more amicable than the apparent animosity between Mayfield and the Browns. That’s good news, considering a reunion between San Francisco and their 2021 starter is looking more and more likely ahead of the 2022 season after the 49ers stated they won’t cut Garoppolo if a trade doesn’t materialize.
Barring any training camp injuries to starting NFL quarterbacks or other offseason surprises, the chances of that possibility seem to be slipping away.
The 49ers have stated Trey Lance is ready to emerge as the team’s starting quarterback this year, but with options for a Garoppolo trade dwindling, it’s entirely possible the young signal-caller could have some camp competition.