SF 49ers: 5 biggest disappointments over first half of 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Jimmy Garoppolo trending in the wrong direction
2020 was going to be a crucial year for Jimmy Garoppolo for a number of reasons.
First, he had to get the taste of last year’s Super Bowl collapse out of the equation, which would answer the critics he either fairly or unfairly gathered ever since last February. On top of that, Garoppolo’s current contract has plenty of outs the SF 49ers can take, including a would-be release that would free up $24.1 million in cap space in 2021 against just $2.8 million in dead money.
As far as predictions go, it’s looking closer to the Niners executing on that out next season.
For whatever the reasons — the Super Bowl “hangover,” a high-ankle sprain or a disjointed offensive line — Garoppolo is not coming anywhere close to meeting those expectations this season.
There are the traditional stats, yes. Garoppolo is 14th in completion percentage (67.1) and 23rd in passer rating (92.4), which are far cries from what he posted a year ago at a time when he was among the league leaders in each category. But as NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger told San Francisco’s 95.7 The Game on Monday, Garoppolo simply isn’t seeing open receivers:
https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1323327429390184448
It’s hard to quantify that, and the visual evidence from the games doesn’t do Garoppolo a lot of justice ensuring his future beyond this season.
Again, the injury and comfort behind his O-line could be a major factoring pair here.
Still, it’s hard to avoid the disappointment stemming from the quarterback’s efforts over the first half of 2020.