After the 49ers traded up to land Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, it was widely assumed that they would move on from Jimmy Garoppolo. But a year later, the incumbent starting quarterback is still around – and we may have a reason why.

San Francisco GM John Lynch was a guest on KNBR in the Bay Area on Monday, and suggested Garoppolo’s March shoulder surgery harmed the team’s quest to trade the quarterback that took them to the Super Bowl in 2019.

“I felt we were close in some discussions and then the decision was made to have surgery and it brought things to a screeching halt,” Lynch said. “We either want to have Jimmy playing for us, which we’re all right with, or we want him to get the value.”

Garoppolo underwent the procedure on his throwing shoulder in March, over a month after the 49ers ended their season with a loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship game. Rumors had swirled heavily around a potential trade in the weeks before, with the quarterback even seemingly bidding farewell to the city in a February press conference.

“Was talking to John [Lynch] yesterday just about finding the right destination and whatever the future holds, just doing it the right way,” Garoppolo told reporters at the time. “Got a long career ahead of me so I’m excited about it, excited about the opportunities to come.

“I just want to go to a place where they want to win, that’s really what I’m in this game for. I’m here to play football, I’m here to win football games and as long as I got that and good people around me, I think the rest will take care of itself.”

But the signal caller’s surgery appeared to derail any talks the 49ers were having. With the 2022 NFL Draft having now come and gone, he still remains on the team.

Garoppolo has no guaranteed money left on his deal and San Francisco can cut him with almost no penalty to the cap. But then they’d let him walk for nothing, when at one point there was a conversation about receiving a high draft pick in exchange for his services from a QB-needy team.

As of now, it’s unclear which team – if any – could theoretically pencil him in as a Week 1 starter. The Seahawks currently have Drew Lock, Geno Smith and Jacob Eason on the roster. The Panthers appear to be willing to start Sam Darnold again, and they also drafted Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral. The Falcons, Lions and Giants appear to have placeholders in Marcus Mariota, Jared Goff and Daniel Jones, respectively, though none of the three teams seem intent on moving on from their guy and it’s fair to argue how much of an upgrade Garoppolo would be.