Why Niners Will Not Keep QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Michael Lombardi has made a living working in NFL front offices and analyzing the game. NFL teams have basically paid him just to hang around. That, and he's friends with New England Patriots coaching legend Bill Belichick.

Anyway, Lombardi is paid to know football, and he professes to know what is likely to happen next with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Per Lombardi, the Niners will part ways with him.

" I believe 49ers general manager John Lynch when he claims that Garoppolo will be his starter in 2021? Of course not," Lombardi wrote for The Athletic. "They are too active, too aggressive to run it back one more year with someone they don’t have complete trust in."

Garoppolo led the 49ers to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. But last season was a different story, as Garoppolo was either injured or played just slightly above average.

"Don’t forget that this time last year I wrote a column about how the 49ers might entertain Brady," Lomabrdi wrote. "And if they followed through with their initial instincts, their season might have been slightly different."

The 49ers have been linked to New York Jets QB Sam Darnold, as well as Deshaun Watson, should the Houston Texans actually decide to trade him. Meanwhile, rumors of a Garoppolo return to the Patriots have been swirling in recent days.