San Francisco 49ers: 3 worst-case scenarios for 2018

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 03: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers is pushed out of bounds by Roy Robertson-Harris #95 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 03: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers is pushed out of bounds by Roy Robertson-Harris #95 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers recovers his own fumbled snap against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The 49ers defetaed the Bears 15-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers recovers his own fumbled snap against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The 49ers defetaed the Bears 15-14. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype

By almost every account, Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be the next big thing in the NFL. Pro Football Focus is high on him. So is NBC Sports’ Peter King, who called Jimmy G the “most compelling story” in the league this upcoming season.

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The way Garoppolo turned around the 49ers, from a one-win team in 2017 to winning all five of their remaining games last year, is a prime reason why he signed a then-record five-year, $137.5 million deal.

It’s almost impossible to envision Garoppolo struggling this upcoming year. After all, he’ll have a full year’s command of Kyle Shanahan’s playbook. San Francisco’s offensive line has been revamped, and Garoppolo’s receiving targets should have a better chemistry with him too.

But we’ve seen quarterback teases before.

Exactly how would this happen? It’s hard to say. But then again, if those other quarterback teases and their teams knew how and why, they’d likely be able to avoid a tease in the first place.

Again, there’s no indication of this happening aside from the proverbial “the league will adjust to him” talk. Even that’s a stretch, though, as Garoppolo’s development should remain on an upward trajectory.

If it doesn’t, for whatever reason, Niners fans would be distraught, and the entire franchise would be scratching its collective head wondering what happened.

Next: 10 reasons why the 49ers win the NFC West in 2018

Sorry to play the downer. So to get you feeling better about San Francisco, just click the above link.

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