A new NFL season is on the horizon and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s future is still in limbo. So where should bettors bank on Jimmy G playing in 2022?
Before we get into that, let’s first look at how the waters got so muddy in the Bay regarding San Francisco’s signal-caller situation.
Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl showdown against the Chiefs at the end of the 2019 season, where they lost 31-20. During the 2021 postseason, with Jimmy G under center, San Francisco fell one game short of the Super Bowl when the team lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship game. Then, things got murky.
In 2021, the 49ers drafted quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick, causing fans and gamblers to wonder if Jimmy’s time wearing red and gold was over.
Despite Garoppolo telling Adam Schefter back in February that he was “hungry to win,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan officially announced in July that Lance would be the new leading man. Meanwhile, Jimmy G is still on San Francisco’s roster.
So, where will Jimmy suit up in 2022? Let’s dive into the hypothetical odds, courtesy of FOX Bet.
ODDS ON JIMMY G’S NEXT TEAM*
Seahawks: +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total)
Texans: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Giants: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Buccaneers: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Browns: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Dolphins: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Saints: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Falcons: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
*odds as of 8/10/2022
The Seahawks at +250 have the best hypothetical odds to snag Garoppolo as their new quarterback. Seattle traded Super Bowl champion QB Russell Wilson to the Broncos in the offseason, and now Drew Lock and Geno Smith are the squad’s options at quarterback. While the 49ers thought moving on from Jimmy G was the better option, the Seahawks making a move to pick him up and start him over Lock or Smith could be an upgrade.
Tampa Bay’s odds to land Garoppolo on the roster in 2022 are sitting at +850. Tom “the GOAT” Brady is QB1 for the Buccaneers, but it never hurts to have a solid backup on a team with championship aspirations. If Jimmy G takes his talents from San Francisco Bay to Tampa Bay, this would be a Brady-Garoppolo reunion fit for two Patriots.
The pair played together in New England from 2014 until 2017, where Jimmy backed up Tom and even started in Brady’s place while TB served his Deflate-Gate suspension. It’s worth noting that Jimmy G was also a part of two of New England’s Super Bowl-winning teams with Brady. With that in mind, another bet to consider might be the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl (+750 at FOX Bet).
Another team that could possibly use Jimmy G under center is embattled Cleveland (+900). The Browns traded for Deshaun Watson during NFL free agency, but as his legal woes unfolded, the Browns’ starting QB situation remains spotty. Jacoby Brissett is on the depth chart as a Watson backup, but is he the answer if the NFL comes down with a harsher suspension? Adding Jimmy to the quarterback room might give the organization more confidence that they can rack up wins until Watson returns.
So will Garoppolo end up starting for a new team in 2022? FOX Sports’ Geoff Schwartz chimed in with his thoughts.
“Unless there’s an injury to a starting quarterback in training camp, I don’t expect Jimmy G to find a home with a team who ‘needs’ an upgrade at quarterback,” Schwartz explained. “There’s no upside for those teams to add him.
“The best options for Jimmy will be as a valuable backup to a contender. Which is why the Buccaneers make sense, as do the Los Angeles Rams with Matthew Stafford’s elbow being an issue.”
Where do you think Garoppolo suits up in 2022? Stay tuned to FOX Sports as the story unfolds!
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