49ers’ trade for Jimmy Garoppolo shows commitment to success right now
By Jonah Burros
The San Francisco 49ers secured their franchise quarterback with a shrewd trade on Monday before the NFL trade deadline that allows the team to spend an extra half of a year getting the new gunslinger up to speed. Welcome, Jimmy Garoppolo, to the 49ers family.
In a move that had no preliminary warnings or speculation from all of the analysts and media in the football verse, the San Francisco 49ers traded a second-round 2018 draft pick to the New England Patriots for their heir apparent to Tom Brady.
2015 second round pick Jimmy Garoppolo is now a 49er and the future of the quarterback situation in San Francisco is now set.
There is more than one opinion from the fans on the move, but the statement made by the 49ers organization is they are considering next year’s team to have a leg up from the start of the season, as opposed to starting off with high draft pick that would start from scratch.
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Garoppolo is in the final year of his rookie contract with New England and was a major piece on the trade block this last offseason that never amounted to a deal. There are at least two schools of thought on this trade and the basic two are this:
- Why pay a premium draft pick for someone that is a free agent in three months, whom you could pay without giving up the pick?
- Great pickup for less than the asking price this last offseason that allows you to have an entire half season of tutelage prior to 2018, giving a leg up next year, as opposed to drafting in the first round or picking up Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency.
Personally I am a fan of the No. 2 option and this is why:
- The giant expanse of time saved from this move. If the 49ers drafted a new QB or elected to bring in a veteran, there would only be the 2018 offseason to learn the offense, in contrast to beginning next year with a set and educated starter.
- A recognized quality quarterback makes a team marketable to free agents and trade partners. The 49ers have a lot of holes that will not be filled by the draft alone. Offensive lineman, wide receivers, cornerbacks and many others could be influenced by a team that has head coach Kyle Shanahan paired with a solid QB and a cash-flush front office.
- Business is king in the football verse. It is no secret the 49ers have attendance problems and a lack of enthusiasm in the fanbase with a 0-8 start. This move reinvigorates a fanbase that has already given up on this season with the prospect of watching a franchise QB come into the fold and begin a career.
- Now the 49ers can concentrate on all other areas of need without speculation on how they will spend their extensive capital on the QB position, whether it be cap-room capital or draft-position capital. This, in conjunction with the free-agent market and a more enticing situation that the 49ers have with Garoppolo, the Niners could improve very quickly going into the NFL 2018 offseason.
The first opinion on the trade seem to fade away the more I look at it but we also need to properly evaluate Garoppolo in order to ascertain whether any of this is a good move.
Evaluating Jimmy Garoppolo’s Abilities
When I watch the available footage on Garoppolo, what i see is a very quick QB, not Michael Vick-quick, but quick with his reads, release and pressure responses.
Garoppolo moves around the pocket very quickly after the snap in response to the pressure of the defense and not the anticipation of getting sacked. What I have seen with now-former 49ers QB Bryan Hoyer and the rookie, C.J. Beathard, is a lack of composure when the blocking breaks down and the blitzes are not picked up. Garoppolo is very well suited to help compensate for a lesser offensive line.
Just that aspect of his game is enough to get the average fan’s attention alone, but he has a few other skills that are an enormous improvement over the current roster. Garoppolo brings a keen understanding of the middle of the field that I have not seen from Hoyer or Beathard.
When watching his most productive moments in his limited starts, I noticed that he was absolutely shredding defenses on slants to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman. The more I watched, I saw how good and fast he was at reading the linebackers and safeties and threading needles to these receivers through most of the large gains he was responsible for.
I also noticed the majority of his remaining success through the air came from deep fades and halfback passes. He was able to run the majority of New England’s offense, as opposed to Jacoby Brissett — currently starting for the Indianapolis Colts — who had a much different playbook when he was called upon.
The singular thing that bothers me about Garoppolo’s game is that there is not a lot of tape of him making the million-dollar throws — the Aaron Rodgers’ outside shoulder, 20-yard fades. The ones that only the greats can make on a regular basis. The Saints’ Drew Brees does it, Rodgers does it and Brady does it.
That’s the fascinating thing, I know that Garoppolo has played behind Brady for years, so I also know that Garoppolo also knows exactly what he cannot do. There might be a throw or two that he isn’t the best at, but he has a large tool box that is easy to see, even with his limited play time over the last few years.
Check just a small portion of it out for yourself:
The largest immediate differences are evident. The 49ers gain pocket presence and maneuverability. Garoppolo has wheels and is not afraid to use them, but also moves away from pressure without fear and extends the play.
He reads the middle of the field and checks down quickly and responds with a quick release before resorting to his feet.
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Garoppolo has a gift for finding small windows and moving the chains, this is something that Shanahan thrives with. The small windows Shanahan has built into his offense with receivers Pierre Garcon and Trent Taylor are paramount, and it looks to be a good marriage.
Overall, paying an early second rounder for all of this to have the opportunity to get an eight-week head start on 2018 seems more than reasonable and even shrewd. The 49ers could come away with a steal here if Garoppolo only proves to be the smallest factor that would have pushed them into the win column on many of their close losses this year.
There will be the nay-sayers that still want Cousins to come to San Francisco and reunite with Shanahan for a ridiculous price the 49ers do not really need.
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This is the smart move and everyone from Shanahan, Lynch to Executive VP Paraag Marathe should be celebrated for making it. It has installed a commitment to win sooner rather than later and fits the team that they have sculpted so far.