49ers trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, ditch Hoyer

The 49ers may have just made the move to obtain their quarterback of the future, as the team has reportedly traded for New England Patriots backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

The transaction, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, was made less than 24 hours before the league trade deadline and will send Garoppolo to San Francisco for a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Major QB shakeup: 49ers trading 2018 2nd-round draft pick to New England for Patriots’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo, sources tell ESPN.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2017

To make room for Garoppolo, the 49ers have also released former starter Brian Hoyer, who signed a 2-year, $10 million contract in May, per Schefter.

Starting two games in 2016 for the then-suspended Tom Brady, Garoppolo threw for 502 yards, completed 67 percent of his passes, and had a 4-to-0 touchdown to turnover ratio, earning himself a 106.2 passer rating according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

By trading for Garoppolo, the 49ers will likely avoid the need to court of Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins after the 2017, or to select a rookie signal-caller in the first round of the draft.

It is important to note that Garoppolo will be a free agent after the 2017 season, so the 49ers will still have to break out their checkbooks to keep him in Santa Clara.

Luckily for San Francisco, they have the fifth-highest projected salary cap space heading into 2018, so paying Garoppolo shouldn’t be an issue.

Another component to consider in this situation is that of C.J. Beathard, the rookie third-rounder who has taken over under center after Hoyer was benched against the Washington Redskins.

Being that Beathard is a rookie under a cheap contract, he could stand as a legitimate backup after showing potential in two starts this season. Beathard is 58-for-110 this season with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

As of now, it looks as though the 49ers at least have a plan for the most important position of the team, something they haven’t been able to say for the last three years.