The sweepstakes for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo are officially underway.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced on Wednesday that Garoppolo’s agents were given permission by the 49ers to seek a trade.
According to NFL analyst Cam Marino, the Atlanta Falcons are one of five teams that have expressed interest in Garoppolo.
“Interesting update: The #Falcons are one of five known teams with a call in to the #49ers regarding QB Jimmy Garoppolo, a source confirms,” Marino tweeted on Thursday.
It’s unclear which other teams called the 49ers to ask about Garoppolo.
For the most part, NFL fans are confused by this report.
The Falcons aren’t exactly a veteran quarterback away from contending, so why pursue Garoppolo? And if they wanted a proven signal-caller under center, they could’ve just kept Matt Ryan.
Garoppolo currently has one year left on his deal. His base salary for the 2022 season is $24.2 million.
During the 2021 season, Garoppolo completed 68.3 percent of his pass attempts for 3,810 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Despite undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason, Garoppolo will be fully cleared in mid-August.