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.
Carolina Panthers don’t need another reclamation project
There’s every chance Jimmy Garoppolo would be an upgrade on Sam Darnold. But the last thing anyone on the Carolina Panthers needs right now is betting their future on another reclamation project.
Although Garoppolo guided the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship and has also played in a Super Bowl, it appears as if the signal-caller is a system quarterback rather than a player that can take over games by the scruff of the neck. That’s fine in a scheme like Kyle Shanahan’s, but it’s not hard to see why this might not translate to a different environment.
It’s easy to forget that Bill Belichick hand-picked Garoppolo to be Tom Brady’s successor on the New England Patriots before the legendary figure went to Robert Kraft to reportedly complain and get his protege shipped out of town. That won’t go unnoticed by other teams and considering what’s at stake for Matt Rhule in 2022, he needs instant help as Darnold is clearly not the answer.
Garoppolo is serviceable with everything around him being top-notch. Something the Panthers simply don’t have at the present time and if they ask him to do too much, that’s when mistakes will occur.
If Carolina hadn’t picked up Darnold’s fifth-year option with a guaranteed $18.85 million, this situation might be different. But from the outside looking in, trading for Garoppolo is another band-aid move when a long-term plan is needed.
Carolina Panthers cannot afford Jimmy Garoppolo
Even if the Carolina Panthers were interested in Jimmy Garoppolo, there is also a significant financial aspect that should make this trade a non-starter. The quarterback has two years remaining on his deal, which will count $26.4 million and $26.9 million against the cap and this should make the decision-makers think twice about bringing the veteran on board.
The Panthers don’t have much in the way of salary-cap space currently. According to Spotrac, just $18.98 million is available to re-sign free agents, strengthen problem areas, and also sign their 2022 NFL Draft class to further complicate matters.
This number might go up with contract restructures and early releases before free agency. But even if additional funds were acquired, taking on another massive quarterback contract is not the smart way to get Carolina trending in the right direction.
As stated previously, there is no guarantee Garoppolo would shine in Carolina’s new system. Ben McAdoo likes to throw the football a lot if his time on the New York Giants is any indication, which represents a problem due to the former second-round pick’s poor timing on occasions.
Carolina needs to be absolutely convinced Garoppolo is the guy to justify taking on such a contract. Judging by his efforts this season, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Carolina Panthers have no more leeway at QB
If the Carolina Panthers decided to go after another quarterback, it would be the third straight offseason where they’ve been searching for a starter. Not exactly the best look for Matt Rhule and a big reason why the organization is still languishing in failure.
Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold, and Cam Newton have all started for periods under Rhule. This represents a strong indicator that pro personnel evaluation when it comes to the quarterback position is not up to the required standard – although Ben McAdoo’s arrival should help enormously.
Carolina trading for another signal-caller this offseason would probably need the approval of David Tepper. The owner has given Rhule a lot of leeway with the final say on personnel decisions, but with the head coach now on the hot seat, the final say might get taken out of his hands.
Jimmy Garoppolo is not Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson – who represent more of a sure thing even though they probably wouldn’t waive their no-trade clause to join Carolina. Simply put, Rhule would have a hard time convincing Tepper to take the plunge on another suspect veteran and if the billionaire had any sense, he would veto the move emphatically.
This trade must not be explored by the Panthers. If it is and the move fails, then heads will undoubtedly roll as a result.