Commanders called 49ers about Garoppolo, preferred Wentz originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Had history gone a bit differently, Washington’s QB1 this season might not have been Carson Wentz.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Commanders had a deal in place with the San Francisco 49ers this past offseason that would’ve sent veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back to Washington. However, once Garoppolo decided to have surgery on his ailing shoulder, the trade fell apart.
“The deal would have involved multiple draft picks, sources said, but was disrupted by the surgery to Garoppolo’s throwing shoulder, which prompted the Commanders to move on from their talks with the Niners,” Schefter wrote.
Obviously, the Commanders ended up trading for former Indianapolis Colts QB Carson Wentz, who is the current starter in D.C.
However, there are conflicting reports regarding the timeline of the Commanders-49ers trade in question. According to NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, Washington did indeed inquire about Garoppolo but was aware of the shoulder issue the entire time. Plus, Wentz was likely higher on their list of hopeful QBs regardless.
“It’s no secret at all that Washington was aggressively shopping for quarterbacks this offseason,” Finlay said. “I checked with some team sources on it. They admitted, ‘Yeah, of course we called San-Fran about Jimmy G., it was obvious they were going to Trey Lance.’ But Washington was aware of Jimmy G.’s shoulder situation…and multiple team sources told me Wentz was always higher on their list than Garoppolo.”
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Wentz’s short tenure in D.C. has been fruitful thus far despite just a 1-1 record. Through two weeks of regular season play, Wentz threw for seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and the NFL’s second-most passing yards. Meanwhile, Garoppolo will take over for an injured Trey Lance in California as the second-year QB will miss the remainder of the season with a leg injury.
