Former 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo expected to draw interest from the Texans, Raiders, and Panthers

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to receive strong interest from the Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Garoppolo had a rollercoaster year and was initially expected to be traded after Trey Lance was given the starting quarterback job during the offseason.

Instead, he ended up staying with the 49ers and regained the starting job once Lance was ruled out for the season with a serious injury. Garoppolo ended up starting 10 games during the season before suffering his own season-ending injury.

The 49ers went 7-3 in his 10 starts and he passed for 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 67.2 percent of his passes.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Garoppolo was not returning to the team while speaking to reporters in February when he said, “No, I don’t see any scenario of that.”

“I know we have two starters on our team right now that I think we can win with,” he added. ‘So when you have that situation, you’re not so eager to go look around.’

All three of Garoppolo’s potential suitors have a chance to draft a rookie quarterback early in this year’s draft, as they all have top-10 picks to go with without a definitive starter at the position.

A short term between one of these teams and Garoppolo would make sense to provide a strong veteran presence that can start immediately.

Garoppolo has also suffered from injury problems throughout his career and his inability to stay healthy for a full season could pave the way for a young quarterback to take the reins with a seamless transition.

Garoppolo was also connected to the New York Jets at one point this offseason due to his relationship with Jets head coach and former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, but those ties have faded due to crushes on New York with Derek Carr, now with the Saints. and Aaron Rogers.