Seahawks go after Jimmy Garoppolo? Just say no.

The Seattle Seahawks still might quarterback options in free agency before the 2022 season starts. But should Seattle go after Jimmy Garoppolo?

ESPN’s Louis Riddick, who knows much more about the workings of the NFL than I do, said this week that if the San Francisco 49ers release Jimmy G, then the Seahawks should try to sign him. My question, though, is why?

The 49ers have had some really good teams of late, yet when they get to games that truly matter in the playoffs, they don’t trust Garoppolo to throw the ball much. When the 49ers made the Super Bowl in 2019, Garoppolo threw the ball 27 times combined in the first two games. San Francisco assumed they had a better chance of winning with less Jimmy G and they were right.

Seahawks shouldn’t take a chance on Jimmy G

In the last two seasons the 49ers have made the playoffs with Garoppolo as quarterback – 2019 and 2021 – any game where Garoppolo has thrown the ball 26 times or more, the 49ers have lost. In seven postseason starts, Garoppolo is 5-2 but he himself has thrown just 4 touchdown passes versus 6 interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 74.1 in those games.

He simply can’t be trusted to win important games so why bring him to the Seahawks?

Garoppolo is also coming off surgery on his throwing shoulder in late January. If Garoppolo isn’t a sure thing to start in Week 1 (and if added to the team, based on his experience, he should be) or even Week 6, why bring him to Seattle? The Seahawks are trying to rebuild and Garoppolo taking up a roster spot doesn’t in any way secure Seattle a better record in 2022.

Then there is the money bit. Garoppolo has been well-paid in his career. But he is losing his job to a still fairly unknown second-year quarterback (Trey Lance) in San Francisco. No team, the Seahawks or anyone else, should be offering Garoppolo starter money.

If Garoppolo is willing to take near the veteran minimum to come to the Seahawks and possibly be QB1, then possibly he is worth the risk except for the fact he is recently injured and that he can’t win playoff games on his own. So Seattle paying Garoppolo makes little sense (plus there’s the bit that the 49ers would know how to play against Jimmy G) and they shouldn’t do it.