Garoppolo expected to be ‘costly’ during free agency; linked to the Texans and Falcons

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had a segment recently where he spoke about 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and where he could land. Fowler said Jimmy would be third in the pecking order behind Aaron Rodgers and Derek Carr this offseason.

It may come as a bit of a surprise, but Fowler said Garoppolo will be costly for any team that elects to sign him:

Talking to teams around the league, he’s expected to be really #3 in the pecking order behind [Derek] Carr and Aaron Rodgers in this quarterback carousel we’re all talking about.

Some natural fits some teams mentioned, you have the Houston Texans if they need a bridge option behind whoever they draft. And then the Atlanta Falcons. Arthur Smith runs a variation of that Kyle Shanahan system.

But Garoppolo is gonna be costly. He wants a contract commensurate with his skill setg and ability.

Houston is picking at the top of the draft and if they would rather not throw in a rookie, Jimmy could serve as the stopgap in an offense he’s familiar with.

Jimmy will be 32 in November, which isn’t “old” for a quarterback, but signing him to a hefty contract with his injury history could lead to buyer’s remorse sooner than later.

Houston has $37 million in cap space, so they can afford any contract demands Garoppolo has. The same can be said about the Falcons and their $55 million cap space. Atlanta has Desmond Ridder, but he didn’t exactly light it up in limited action last season.

The 49ers are rooting for Jimmy to sign a lucrative contract. The bigger the deal, the higher the comp pick in next year’s draft. The comp pick formula considers a player’s average salary per year, snap count, and postseason awards.

Jimmy started 11 games, and a deal over $15 million per year should net the Niners their best compensatory pick to date. Carr is reportedly seeking $35 million per year. Is he $20 million better than Garoppolo?