The $25 million Jimmy Garoppolo question 49ers are facing

Jimmy Garoppolo’s equivalent to the clock striking midnight could possibly come as early as Tuesday afternoon.

The 49ers, who decided to move on from Garoppolo this offseason in favor of second-year quarterback Trey Lance, “had not made any more progress” on a trade for the former second-round pick as of Monday morning, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Further, if Garoppolo’s released by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline for roster cuts, San Francisco could potentially clear $25.5 million in cap space.

Though Garoppolo’s salary isn’t fully guaranteed until Saturday, Sept. 10, Schultz floated another theory as to why 49ers brass may want to keep hold of the former Patriots quarterback — for now, anyway.

“I’m also told [49ers GM] John Lynch prefers not to face Jimmy G with the #Seahawks Week 2,” Schultz said of San Francisco’s NFC West rival.

Garoppolo, 30, has been linked to the Seahawks for some time, with ESPN reporting in July that the team had internal discussions about the quarterback playing for them. Seattle, which traded franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver back in March, is currently moving forward with Geno Smith as the starter.

Much like Schultz, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he believes “we’ll get some resolution by tomorrow at 4 [p.m.],” in relation to Garoppolo. Elsewhere, Peter King of NBC Sports suggested Garoppolo stays patient in his search for a new home.

“I think if I’m Jimmy Garoppolo, and I get my freedom sometime in the next two weeks, I don’t sign anywhere. I wait. I get fully healthy and sign with a team when there’s a quarterback injury,” King wrote Monday in his Football Morning in America column, referencing the quarterback’s shoulder surgery in the offseason.

“Waiting allows Garoppolo to be choosy and maybe to get very lucky if the team with an injury is a strong playoff team.”

Garoppolo initially landed in San Francisco in October 2017 after being traded by New England. He signed a five-year, $137.5 million deal the following February.