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Why 49ers’ contract talks with Jimmy Garoppolo are taking so long

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch mentioned the team is working hard to get quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo signed to a long-term deal. But why has it taken so long?

This was going to be one of the problems the San Francisco 49ers faced when they traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo just prior to the 2017 NFL trade deadline.

What to do about a new contract?

Garoppolo is a pending free agent in 2018. And while the Niners have the fallback option of placing the franchise tag if a deal isn’t worked out, one can at least wonder why it’s taken so long to ink the promising QB to a long-term deal.

49ers general manager John Lynch explained to NFL Network’s Alex Flanagan, live at the 2018 Senior Bowl, the organization is “working hard towards” getting a deal done.

You can check out the interview below:

So what’s taking so long?

Sure, this might be a bit of impatience talking. But the weeks and days are counting down to the March 6 deadline to ink a new deal. If not, the franchise tag applies, at least extending negotiations until July 16 at the latest. If no deal is reached, Garoppolo will play on a one-year contract with no ability to renegotiate until after the 2018 season.

A new contract between now and then would solve all that. In the meantime, though, let’s try to figure out the reasons behind the delays.