3 reasons why 49ers show Jimmy Garoppolo the door in 2022
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers know Jimmy Garoppolo is ‘good enough’ only
Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t a bad quarterback. Some may even argue he’s good. Definitely deserving to start in the NFL.
At 30 years old, however, the improvement argument won’t apply here. While it would be easy to dive into all the stats, both good and bad, Garoppolo simply is who he is: a decent starting option who can effectively manage an offense when there are quality weapons around him.
Even then, Garoppolo is still prone to making bone-headed mistakes, as his career 2.5 interception percentage has revealed. And while there will be those who argue San Francisco can’t win games without Garoppolo starting, which has proven to be true under Kyle Shanahan, there’s also another factor in the mix here.
Read More: 4 questions Jimmy Garoppolo must answer over rest of 2021
There should be two kinds of teams in the NFL: those who have elite-level quarterbacks and those who are looking for one.
Shanahan witnessed firsthand what having an elite-level quarterback can do, namely in the 49ers’ 2020 loss to quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and even before during Super Bowl LIV when quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned things around in Niners-heartbreaking fashion in the fourth quarter.
Garoppolo doesn’t have that “it” factor, never has and likely never will. Shanahan realized that, hoping Trey Lance would wind up developing those X-factors towards being a superstar signal-caller.