4 reasons the Carolina Panthers must not trade for Jimmy Garoppolo
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers must avoid the temptation of trading for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
Things could have been much different for Jimmy Garoppolo had he not thrown a crucial interception late in his NFC Championship defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. But failure to get things done casts obvious uncertainty about his future with the San Francisco 49ers beyond this season.
Garoppolo came into the campaign on the hot seat after the Niners decided to give up a significant amount of draft capital to take Trey Lance at No. 3 overall. Although the veteran has been the top option in San Francisco when healthy, Kyle Shanahan will never get a better time to change the man under center and it leaves the former Eastern Illinois standout on the trade block if this scenario comes to fruition.
There are some quarterback-needy teams who might consider Garoppolo providing the price is right. These include the Carolina Panthers, who could be on the lookout for an upgrade over Sam Darnold if the right opportunity comes along.
With this in mind, here are four reasons why the Panthers must not trade for Garoppolo this offseason.
Reason No. 1
Carolina Panthers cannot gamble more draft capital
If trading for Jimmy Garoppolo was guaranteed to instantly turn around the Carolina Panthers’ fortunes, then giving up what little draft capital they have would be worth it. However, that is simply not the case and with no Day 2 selection currently after trades for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson, this is a luxury those in power cannot afford.
One suspects the Niners might be looking for an early second-round selection at the very least for Garoppolo. They’ll want to recoup some lost draft picks sacrificed for Trey Lance in 2021 and considering how desperate teams get for help under center, there might be a market closer to draft night.
The Panthers should explore other options, in all honesty. General manager Scott Fitterer stated that their remaining selections are like Goldust, so mortgaging their future for Garoppolo is simply not an option.