CLEVELAND — There's an old cliche that the NFL doesn't stand for "National Football League," but rather "Not For Long." And while it's often used to describe the length -- or lack thereof -- of most players' careers, it also applies to Jimmy Garoppolo's past 48 hours.
On Sunday, Garoppolo was mere minutes away from leading the San Francisco 49ers to their second Super Bowl appearance in as many years -- a bid that fell short when Los Angeles Rams kicker Matt Gay kicked the game-winning 30-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in the NFC Championship Game. On Tuesday, Garoppolo was at a podium meeting with reporters, revealing that his agent and the 49ers will work together on a potential trade in the offseason ahead, according to Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee.
The news, however, was hardly a surprise.
Last offseason, San Francisco traded three first-round picks for the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which it used to select North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. While Garoppolo played ahead of Lance throughout the 2021 season, many around the NFL assumed that Lance would be taking the reins of the 49ers' offense in 2022.
That assumption appears to have been correct.
As a result, it appears the 49ers will trade Garoppolo, who has become one of the league's most polarizing players. And while the Cleveland Browns have remained publicly committed to Baker Mayfield as their starting quarterback, there also stands reason to believe they could be interested in acquiring San Francisco's 30-year-old signal-caller.
Asked about the possibility of exploring quarterback options in the months ahead, Browns general manager Andrew Berry admitted that it was his job to put together the best roster possible.
"My job is to assemble the best team possible and make sure that we're in a position to compete consistently for the division, to be in the playoffs and ultimately win a championship," Berry said last month. "That's something that we'll strive to do every year."
While some might debate whether using assets to acquire Garoppolo would help Berry accomplish just that, there's also enough evidence that it would likely merit a conversation. In 2021, the eighth-year veteran ranked higher than Mayfield -- in most cases, by a wide margin -- in a number of advanced statistical categories, including QBR, DVOA, EPA and EPA + CPOE composite.
While Mayfield spent the season dealing with injuries, so too did Garoppolo, who is expected to have surgery on his right thumb in the weeks ahead. It's also worth noting that Garoppolo possessed a better supporting cast at wide receiver and tight end than Cleveland currently has, which is something the Browns would have to weigh in a potential trade.
Nevertheless, it's tough to imagine that Garoppolo's experience and success in Kyle Shanahan's offensive system -- which possesses similarities to Kevin Stefanski's scheme in Cleveland -- wouldn't be appealing to the Browns. Perhaps the biggest question is what would it cost to acquire Garoppolo, and would that price be worth moving on from Mayfield?
Like Mayfield, Garoppolo is entering the final year of his contract, meaning that should Cleveland acquire him, it would also likely sign him to some sort of an extension. Is Garoppolo good enough that the Browns would feel comfortable committing both draft capital and a high-figured salary toward acquiring him?
These are the questions that Berry and the Browns will have to answer in the weeks ahead as Cleveland looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2021 season. Perhaps the Browns decide that Garoppolo isn't enough of an upgrade -- or that he isn't even an upgrade at all -- worth trading for. Or perhaps the Eastern Illinois product decides he'd rather play elsewhere.
At this point, all we know is that Garoppolo is available and there's reason to believe Cleveland could be interested. Maybe it will be a short conversation.
But the numbers suggest that it's a conversation worth having, nonetheless.