San Fransisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is kicking it on the golf course and at Hooters amid offseason trade buzz.
A photo recently surfaced that featured Garoppolo all smiles with his arm around a Hooters waitress. The pair was pictured standing in a Hooters parking lot at nighttime.
It’s unclear when the photo was taken, but Garoppolo is believed to have been at a Hooters restaurant in Augusta, Ga., right outside Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters Tournament took place April 7-10. It is also the same Hooters establishment that pro golfer John Daly hosts his annual Masters event.
The quarterback appeared to be in good spirits amid an offseason that’s been filled with trade rumors about where he will play this coming season.
After Garoppolo’s season ended in a loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, Garoppolo said he and 49ers general manager John Lynch had talked “about finding the right destination” for the 2022 season with Trey Lance slated to take over the starting job.
As the quarterback carousel moved at rapid speed since the start of the new NFL calendar year on March 16, the market has continued to get thinner by the week.
It’s possible that the 49ers could keep Garoppolo, whose $137.5 million contract expires at the end of 2022. His no-trade clause expired when the new league year began on March 16. Eight days prior, the 30-year-old underwent surgery to repair the capsule in his throwing shoulder.
Lynch has said the 49ers have budgeted for the possibility that Garoppolo remains on the roster next season. The quarterback, meanwhile, has remained quiet throughout the offseason.
Jimmy Garoppolo in the 49ers’ win over the Packers in the playoffs. Getty ImagesDuring the NFL’s annual meetings in Palm Beach Fla. last month, Lynch was asked about potentially cutting the quarterback.
“I don’t foresee that,” Lynch said. “He’s too good a player. I think Jimmy will be playing for us or will be playing for someone else. He’s too good of a player not to be.”
Garoppolo is reportedly expected to be back throwing at full strength by late June or early July, barring any setbacks in his recovery from should surgery.
