4 reasons why SF 49ers won’t move on from Jimmy Garoppolo
By Peter Panacy
There are plenty of good reasons why the SF 49ers move on from Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, yet there are counterarguments, too.
Perhaps SF 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is merely an OK signal-caller and won’t ever get much better than the still-good efforts he put forth during the Niners’ 2019 Super Bowl run.
That notion, combined from what was seen over his six games played over the course of 2020, has led to no shortage of speculation and opinion head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to move on from the guy under center.
Hall of Fame quarterback and current ESPN analyst Steve Young thought that would be the case, as Shanahan just isn’t getting what he wants out of Garoppolo. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco (h/t KNBR 680), whose pulse on the team is awfully good, also thinks it’s likely the SF 49ers move on from Jimmy G, too, especially when considering his money due in 2021.
That’s a big part of the equation. With a shrinking salary cap, are the Niners justified in paying the quarterback up to $26.9 million? Or will they part ways, save $24.1 million and look for other options during the offseason?
It’s a tough question to ask.
But that alone prompts the first reason why San Francisco retains Garoppolo, and it’s not necessarily because Shanahan is infatuated with the quarterback.
Rather out of necessity.
No. 4: SF 49ers don’t have a legitimate contingency plan
It’s easy for fans and many pundits to say “dump Jimmy G this offseason” and think no more of it. After all, him being benched in two games (albeit twice because of injuries) this season isn’t a good look, and it’s clear Garoppolo won’t come close to the 3,978 pass yards (fourth best in franchise history for a single season) and 102.0 passer rating this year, should he return from his high-ankle sprain.
But if the SF 49ers get rid of Garoppolo, then what.
It would be one thing if the Niners were in a complete rebuild mode. Then anyone could be proverbially “up for grabs,” not unlike Shanahan going with now-New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer back in 2017 when San Francisco was in that situation.
Yet that’s not the case. The SF 49ers’ Super Bowl window is open now. One could fairly argue Garoppolo can’t carry this team to a championship.
Moving on, however, could close that window awfully prematurely, though, especially if there’s no clear alternative to replace him.