Insider: 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo 'is not' going to Texans

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that "it would be sort of a surprise" if the Houston Texans made a move to acquire San Francisco 49ers veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, in part because the Texans "really like Davis Mills" heading into training camp. 

That shouldn't be too surprising for those who followed Texans-related news throughout the offseason. As far back as February, Houston head coach Lovie Smith has repeatedly insisted that Mills is "our quarterback going into the season," and Smith has routinely offered high praise for the 2021 third-round draft pick. The Texans have also done nothing to replace Mills atop their depth chart. 

According to David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, respected Texans insider John McClain went one step further than Fowler during a Friday appearance on the KNBR "Murph & Mac" program. 

"First of all, he's not coming to Houston. They have no interest," McClain said of Garoppolo. "They are sold on Davis Mills from Stanford at least being a starter going into this season. If he can do it, that's great for them. If he can't, they have two number one picks, including Cleveland's. Eleven picks overall right now to help them acquire a quarterback in a great quarterback draft.

"But the coach, Lovie Smith, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, and the general manager, Nick Caserio, they're sold on Davis Mills' potential. The last five games last year—[nine] touchdowns, two interceptions, a [102.4 passer] rating. So he's the guy. Jimmy G is not coming here." 

McClain repeated a take offered by others and added that the 49ers will ultimately need to play Garoppolo during the preseason so he can show he's fully recovered from his March shoulder surgery. 

"Hang onto him until a quarterback [on another team] goes down, and then you trade him for a conditional pick based on what he does and what the [aquiring] team does," McClain remarked. "You're going to get a lot more for him than you're going to get now because people don't even know if he can throw the ball anymore right now."

2021 rookie Trey Lance served as San Francisco's starting signal-caller throughout springtime workouts as Garoppolo recovered from the March procedure and is presumed to be the team's QB1 ahead of training camp sessions that get underway July 26.