Why Jimmy Garoppolo's exit works best for the 49ers in the offseason

Jimmy Garoppolo has taken the San Francisco 49ers to one Super Bowl and one NFC Championship game in five seasons with the team. He was not able to get them over the line in either of those games and now it looks as if the time has come for an amicable split between the quarterback and the franchise.

The San Francisco 49ers will look to employ Trey Lance as their starting quarterback next season and Jimmy Garoppolo will not lack suitors. Teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the newly-rebranded Washington Commanders have been named among those most interested in the 30-year-old quarterback.

A number of teams would be pleased to have a quarterback like Garoppolo, who is not quite elite, but is certainly a solid signal caller with considerable experience. Garroppolo finished the season towards the middle of the pack in a few of the major passing categories. He threw for 3810 yards (12th) with a total quarterback rating of 53.4 (13th) on 20 passing touchdowns (t-17th).

The salary situation of Jimmy Garoppolo

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys

As Jimmy Garoppolo looks to move on, here are the incentives he has to go to a new team. He knows that based on his recent performances, certain contenders will look to have him as their starter. He seems to have already made up his mind about the fact that he is going to be elsewhere next season.

The writing was pretty much on the wall when the 49ers drafted Trey Lance in last year's NFL draft. Garoppolo admitted as much when speaking of his time in San Francisco.

“It’s been a hell of a ride...We’ve done right by each other just throughout this whole relationship. We’ll work it out one way or another.”

Conversely, the 49ers also benefit from his desire to move on as they get to offload his sizeable contract . He is currently on a $137.5 million deal that he signed in 2018, making him the tenth-most expensive player in the league. If the 49ers were to get Jimmy Garoppolo off the books this season, they would find themselves $25.5 million under the salary cap.

That would allow the 49ers to rebuild the team and put the best pieces around Trey Lance, whom they view as the next face of the franchise. There is always the risk that the Trey Lance investment may not work out the way they want it to. However, he has had a year to develop under Jimmy Garoppolo and has also seen some NFL snaps when the starting quarterback was unavailable to play.

That experience should stand him in good stead as he ventures into his sophomore season. Therefore, the 49ers will have a promising young starting quarterback coupled with ample salary room to build a team around him. This looks like the most likely blueprint the 49ers will use to attempt to dominate the league for years to come.