During the mid-season of 2017, the 49ers traded with the New England Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo in exchange for a 2nd round Pick. He went on to close out that season with a 5 game winning streak, which led to his 5-year, $137.5M contract (with $74M guaranteed), which he signed February 2018.
To date, Garoppolo has earned over $110M (spotrac.com) with the 49ers. If he stays for the final year on his contract, Garoppolo can earn up to another $25.5M which will total him out to almost $140M. As a 49er, Garoppolo’s regular season record is 31-14 and he’s 4-2 in the playoffs. He completed his 2021 season with 15 games, 301 CMP, 441 ATT, 67.7 CMP%, 3,810 YDS, 20 TD, 12 INT, 8.6 Y/A, 254 Y/G, 98.7 RTG.
Why do the 49ers Need to say Farewell to Jimmy Garoppolo? Three reasons –
1. 0 Lombardi Trophies – Garoppolo and the 49ers had 2 out of 4 chances to win Lombardi Trophies. In 2018’s Week 3 game against the Chiefs, he tore his ACL while trying to get extra yards and going out of bounds. In 2019, Garoppolo and the 49ers finished the season with a 13-3 record and winning the NFC West. They faced the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54 and lost 31-20 after having a 10-point lead with 6 minutes to go in the 4th Quarter. In 2020, Garoppolo suffered an ankle sprain Week 2 against the Jets, which affected him all season. He eventually suffered a high ankle sprain and his 2020 season was over. In 2021, Garoppolo and the 49ers finished the season 10-7 with one of the new formatted wild card spots. After defeating the Rams by a FG in OT (27-24), they went on to defeat the Cowboys (23-17) in the wild card round and the Packers (13-10) in the Divisional Round. Despite all his wins and success, during Garoppolo’s tenure with the 49ers, he failed to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
2. Trey Lance – In 2021, the 49ers traded up in the draft to select with the 3rd overall pick, QB Trey Lance out of North Dakota State University. This move cost the 49ers 1st round picks in 2022, 2023 and a 3rd round pick in 2022. That’s a pretty big haul for the future, especially when their Garoppolo is still on roster with a few years left on his contract. The 49ers were sending a message loud and clear: “We’re moving forward”. 49ers’ Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is on record stating that there was no QB competition, but Garoppolo painted a different picture when speaking about competing during practices. Lance finished the season with a 1-1 record as a starter. He started over Garoppolo against the Cardinals (17-10) and the Texans (23-7). In these games, Lance showed signs of promise and prepped the Faithful for an intriguing future to come.
3. Cap Space – The 49ers currently have 24 unrestricted free agents and about $5.1M in cap space going into next season. If the 49ers keep Garoppolo (25.5M), there’s no money left for them to re-sign former players or other free agents. Garoppolo’s No-Trade Clause expires on March 15, 2022. If the 49ers are able to find a team to take on Garoppolo’s salary, this would put back $25M back into the cap and the 49ers will have more negotiation space for at least signing their own free agents. If the 49ers are unable to trade Garoppolo and his contract, the next best option is to release him and take the $1.4M cap hit. This situation will be ideal for Garoppolo because it would make him a free agent and he could then sign to whatever team he feels suits him. (Steelers + Buccaneers)
Although Garoppolo’s time with the 49ers has been bittersweet, it’s always hard saying goodbye to someone that you have grown accustomed to. I don’t think that Jimmy Garoppolo was the best QB, but he also wasn’t the worst. He brought winning and playoff runs back to the 49ers and that can never be taken away from him. Where ever Garoppolo lands, he will succeed because he’s a gritty warrior at heart. Thank you, Jimmy Garoppolo, for your time here in the Bay. I wish you much success to you moving forward…just not as much as Lance.
WayneBreezie 49erscap.com
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Great read Wayne. Time to move onward and prayerfully upward, with Trey behind center and a decent portion of the current players.
I agree. It’s time for a new era. A Trey Era
Great article. Very detailed with your reasoning about why it is time to move forward. Loved all the detailed information concerning cap numbers and stats. I’m also ready for Lance also! 😂
Thank you Peachy. I wish that we could have hoisted a Lombardi under the Jimmy Era, but it’s time to start looking and building for the future.
Good read sir! I’m new to this site, and recently signed up. A change that we as fans have known for a long time, but still bittersweet. I for one will always root for whoever is under center for our team, but a new dawn is upon us. Looking forward to more content during the off-season.
I couldn’t have said it any better. I’m like you I’ll cheer for whoever is wearing the red and gold. Thank you so much for the compliments. I’ll continue to do my best to give you great content. Feel free to subscribe to you the youtube channel were I do live 49ers content as well. http://www.youtube.com/waynebreezie. Hope to see you there.