NFL Rumors: Jimmy Garoppolo, Commanders, Deshaun Watson

Welcome to the Friday edition of NFL rumors.

We are approaching the first weekend without football but free agency and the new league year is just around the corner. The “legal tampering” period begins for teams on the 14th of March and runs through the beginning of the new league year at 4 pm ET on the 16th. At that point, free agents can officially sign their new contracts.

San Franciso 49ers – Jimmy Garoppolo

Rumor: Teams looking to acquire the veteran quarterback will likely have to surrender a day two pick either this year or in the 2023 NFL Draft, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

The 49ers drafter Trey Lance in the first round of last year’s draft and of all the rookie first-round quarterbacks, he saw by far the least amount of playing time. That doesn’t mean that San Francisco wasn’t prepared to hand the keys to Lance in 2022, regardless of what happened this past season. Well, Garoppolo brought the 49ers within a blink of another Super Bowl appearance under the former Patriot. However, it was not to be as they fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams.

That essentially spelled the end for Garoppolo, now 30, in the Bay area with everyone assuming he will be elsewhere to start the 2022 season. Jimmy G is an odd situation as he is a proven winner, however, he lacks some of the elite-level talent of some of the best quarterbacks in the league. There are always quarterback-starved teams out there so interest will be there for Garoppolo.

Among the teams that could be possible suitors are the Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New Orleans Saints.

Around FPC

NFL: Marvin Lewis on Brian Flores’ Charges: “No Question, It’s Alarming”

NFL: Aaron Donald Is Noncommittal On Future

NFL: Unhitch The Wagon: Chiefs Must Release Anthony Hitchens

Super Bowl: Climb The Ranks: Joe Burrow Continues To Ascend

NHL: NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames

PODCAST: Full Press NFL Podcast Ep 33: Super Bowl LVI Reaction; Rams Clinch Second Title

Houston Texans – Deshaun Watson

Rumor: Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has the Vikings and Buccaneers as top destinations as he departs Houston, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Deshaun Watson remained on the active roster in 2021 but didn’t play a single snap as he continues to deal with his legal issues stemming from 22 different civil lawsuits filed against him. However, that hasn’t slowed the market for the talented quarterback who was reportedly at the top of the list for former Dolphins head coach, Brian Flores.

The Buccaneers need is obvious. After two incredible years for the downtrodden franchise, Tom Brady retire leaving a super-sized void under center for a team still in Super Bowl contention IF they find a viable replacement. All off-the-field issues aside, Watson would be more than an adequate replacement for the greatest of all time.

The Vikings, on the other hand, still have their franchise quarterback in Kirk Cousins, albeit for one more very expensive season. Cousins has been solid for the Vikings but has yet to elevate the team to levels they expected when they signed him away from Washington. Watson would present an obvious upgrade at the position so if the Vikings feel they have gone as far as they can go with Cousins, and that may very well be the case, making a big move for a quarterback could be in the cards.

Could the Commanders consider trading Chase Young if it landed them the right quarterback? #TakeCommand #NFL #FPC @FPC_Commanders pic.twitter.com/o65Le23WCl

— Full Press NFL (@FullPressNFL) February 18, 2022

Washinton Commanders – Veteran Quarterback

Rumor: The Commanders would trade just about anyone to acquire a top-tier quarterback, per Ben Standig of The Athletic.

In a mailbag article on The Athletic, the question was posed whether or not the Commanders would trade Chase Young in order to land a top-tier talent. The answer… no one is off-limits, not even Young. Especially if it ultimately lands them a guy like Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, suggests.

It is clear, the Commanders are placing a high priority on the quarterback position with several veterans reportedly available this offseason. Washington ended the 2020 season with one of the better defenses in the league and extracted just about every ounce of ability out of Taylor Heineke to make it to the postseason. They nearly knocked off the Buccaneers, who eventually went on to win the Super Bowl. They took a step back in 2021 with the quarterback positions having one of the biggest regressions from the end of 2020.