What if scenario: Miami Dolphins have to replace Tagovailoa in ’23

Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers

If Carr isn’t polarizing enough for you, then Jimmy Garoppolo is the guy you’re looking for. Garoppolo is more than likely out for the season with a broken ankle and is in the final year of his contract with San Francisco.

The 49ers planned on moving on from Garoppolo this season after trading three first-round picks to acquire Trey Lance from North Dakota State in 2021. No teams ended up making an offer for Garoppolo that the 49ers liked, so they elected to keep him as a backup. After two games, Lance was out for the season with an ankle injury and Garoppolo was thrown back into the starting lineup. Before his injury, Garoppolo was 7-3 as the starter and threw for 2,437 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes and recording a passer rating of 103.

The knocks on Garoppolo are that he’s an injury-prone quarterback in his 30s that seems to be carried by elite teams rather than being the reason for his team’s success. Those are all legitimate points to make, but it’s hard to argue that he isn’t an above-average quarterback. He’s 40-17 as a starter and completes nearly 68 percent of his throws. The other factor that could make this interesting is his relationship with McDaniel, who was his offensive coordinator in San Francisco. The transition to McDaniel from San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan would be seamless.

Garoppolo would be a more-than-capable placeholder for Miami while they search for the long-term answer under center, but he may have multiple suitors during free agency, including the New York Giants and the New York Jets, so it may cost more money to sign Garoppolo than Miami would like.