The Pittsburgh Steelers are one team who could be in the market to trade for San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.
If the San Francisco 49ers want to roll with former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance as their 2022 starter, quarterback-desperate teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers could have a ton of interest in Jimmy Garoppolo.
The former second-round pick by the New England Patriots has spent the last several seasons playing for Kyle Shanahan in Santa Clara. He is entering his age-31 season of Eastern Illinois. The 2022 campaign will be his final year under contract. Garoppolo is slated to make $25.55 million and be a $26.95 million cap hit next fall. The Steelers are in dire need of a starting quarterback.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of the Steelers potentially trading for the long-time 49ers starter.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Pros of trading for Jimmy Garoppolo
It goes without saying, the Steelers get better at quarterback immediately upon the arrival of almost anyone not named Mason Rudolph.
Garoppolo, specifically, is light years better than Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins, or whoever else the Steelers bring into their quarterback room this offseason. Frankly, Garoppolo is better now at this point of his career over what the Steelers have gotten the last few years out of his would-be predecessor, Ben Roethlisberger.
When healthy, Garoppolo has shown he can consistently be a top-16 passer in the league. His teammates seem to really like the guy and people naturally gravitate to him. Though he is not elite at any one particular thing, he gives the Steelers credibility they are lacking at the quarterback position in the same division that has Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and for now, Baker Mayfield.
Ultimately, Garoppolo is certainly good enough to quarterback the Steelers in 2022 to the postseason. They can win the AFC North with him under center and possibly get to the AFC Championship Game if they get the right matchup. Pittsburgh can probably go somewhere around 12-5 on a defensive-led team that is quarterbacked by Garoppolo. He would be an elite stop-gap.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Cons of trading for Jimmy Garoppolo
The cons of trading for Garoppolo are not as obvious, but are very much there. The biggest one is he is what he is. This is as good as he is going to be. The Steelers would be trading for presumably the third-most talented quarterback in the division, at best. All things equal, Burrow and Jackson are better players than him. Simply put, it is hard to win a division without the best quarterback.
Another issue is Garoppolo needs an great running game backing him up to be successful. He will not be the same player without the Shanahan zone blocking scheme putting the wind in his sails. Najee Harris could be the best running back he has ever played with, but the Steelers offensive line is not even close to what he has had to play behind as a member of the 49ers franchise.
And finally, by trading for Garoppolo, it removes the Steelers from taking a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Though this is not a great quarterback class in the slightest, Kenny Pickett from Pitt is a lock to go in the first round. While he may not have the highest ceiling to begin with, how sure are we the Steelers will pass on the best Pitt quarterback since Dan Marino?
Pittsburgh Steelers: Should they trade for Jimmy Garoppolo?
This comes down to one simple question: Where do the Steelers want to be in 2024? Do they want to be a middle-of-the-pack team in the AFC or do they want to be building towards something potentially better? While Garoppolo is an elite stop-gap, he does not have the runway with one year left to be the true heir apparent to Big Ben when it comes to Steelers football lore.
Pittsburgh needs to identify their next franchise quarterback, a 20-something who can compete for division crowns and AFC supremacy with the likes of Burrow and Jackson, as well as Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes outside of the division. If that player exists in either the 2022 or 2023 NFL Draft, then they need to prioritize acquiring him over Garoppolo this offseason cycle.
Should the Steelers not like what they see in this draft or the next one, then go trade for Jimmy G.