The 49ers don’t want to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, but if they did, they’d need a first-round NFL Draft pick in return.

That’s reportedly the asking price for San Francisco’s incumbent quarterback, who was rendered a lame duck after the team traded up to the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft – ostensibly to select his replacement.

Mike Giardi of the NFL Network reported that the 49ers are asking for a first rounder in any potential trade. They have previously said they have no interest in moving him and will give him the chance to compete for the starting job even with a new quarterback, but if anyone were to convince them, it would take a premier draft selection.

It’s more than the 49ers gave up to get Garoppolo back in 2017, when they sent a second-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for the quarterback. He probably had more value at that point, too – with two starts under his belt and plenty of theoretical upside. He’s proven to be mostly an average and injury-prone quarterback in San Francisco.

Garoppolo has a no-trade clause in his contract for 2021, but it expires in 2022. Theoretically for the 49ers, it would make much more sense for them to trade him next season, letting him start in 2021 and rebuild his value after an injury-plagued season.

That said, if they get the first-rounder for him now – arguably much more than they should get – they’ll pull the trigger.