Niners make huge mistake keeping Jimmy G from the Seahawks

The Seahawks dodged a bullet when the 49ers signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a new contract. He’s not the long-term answer, as the Niners clearly pointed out.

There has been at least three tons of media conjecture that the Seahawks desperately wanted Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback. Thankfully, we can put all of that behind us as the Niners signed the NFL’s premier male model to a restructured contract that will keep him in San Francisco.

It’s definitely worth noting that it will also keep Jimmy G on the bench to start the season.

One of the issues I had with the potential addition of Garoppolo to the Seahawks was the persistent rumor that he wasn’t exactly locked in to the team concept. Multiple sources, including CBS Sports, reported that Jimmy G ghosted the Niners as soon as he got paid. Yeah, that sounds like the kind of guy Pete Carroll wants on his team, alright.

Seahawks have Jimmy G right where they want him

Okay, that might not be completely accurate. Granted, Garoppolo is still in San Francisco. The problem is, he’ll be riding the pine, instead of losing to the Hawks. The NFL’s most over-hyped QB is only 1-5 against the boys in navy and gray, after all. He’s a decent quarterback, for sure.

But his new contract for $6.5 million guaranteed, is a much more accurate assessment of his value than the nearly $27 million he was due under his old contract. Nick Shook with nfl.com has some interesting comments on Jimmy G’s perceived value in that article. Of special note is both his injury history and his perceived ceiling.

The 49ers may have saved the future of the Seahawks by keeping Jimmy Garoppolo to a new contract. I’m not at all convinced that Seattle would have signed him anyway. Pete Carroll stated several times the Seahawks weren’t interested in any veteran quarterbacks.

In an interview with ESPN’s Brady Henderson, Coach Carroll said, “I don’t see us making a trade for anybody at all. I don’t see that happening.” Yes, he left the door open to the possibility, but he made it clear that a trade was not in the plan, whether it was for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy G.

Signing Mayfield or Garoppolo would cripple the Seahawks in the future. Yeah, yeah, 12s, I know I’ve already written about this in-depth, both about the Niners QB and the former Browns QB. In both cases, the Hawks would gain only a few games in the standings this year, at best. Then next season, assuming their new quarterback actually played well, they’d be looking at a huge salary increase.

They just got out of that situation with Russell Wilson. Kenny Pickett, the only QB taken in the first round this year, will be paid a total of $14 million over four years. That’s roughly half of what Garoppolo or Mayfield would make for 2023 alone if they’re worth keeping at all.

So tell me, 12s; did you really want a QB that took a twenty million dollar pay cut just to sit on the bench in San Francisco? The Niners moved on from him for good reason. Thank god, they didn’t want him going to another team. I can only think they kept him as insurance if Trey Lance doesn’t work out. Or maybe Jimmy G will get two starts a year, always facing the Rams. With any luck, the Seahawks will see him under center this year. Chalk up that win now, 12s!