49ers All-Time Quarterback No. 9: Jimmy Garoppolo
2017-2021
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is going to leave a complex and perhaps controversial legacy with the 49ers.
Once the high-profile backup to the inevitable first-ballot Hall of Famer Tom Brady with the New England Patriots, Jimmy G’s run with the Niners after being acquired at the 2017 NFL trade deadline led to a five-game win streak to close out the season.
Two years later, Garoppolo led San Francisco to within minutes of a championship victory in Super Bowl LIV, capping off a year in which he tossed for 3,978 yards, putting him fourth on the franchise’s all-time list for single-season pass yards.
But injuries, such as a torn ACL in 2018 and high-ankle sprains in 2020, thwarted Garoppolo’s chances to be “the guy” for more than just a few years, prompting the 49ers to aggressively pursue quarterback Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Niners won a lot with Garoppolo under center, though, putting him on this list.