John Lynch all but confirms Jimmy Garoppolo will leave 49ers

The 49ers uncomfortably made it work with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022, but John Lynch just told reporters that this case won’t repeat again in 2023.

Until he officially signs with a new team, there will be those out there who think quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo could ultimately reunite with the San Francisco 49ers once more.

A year after he was “assuredly” going to be traded in the wake of the Niners wanting to promote quarterback Trey Lance into the starter’s role.

We know how that played out. Garoppolo, following offseason shoulder surgery, didn’t have any trade suitors with whom San Francisco could engage. Then, lacking a market, the 49ers simply reworked the final year of his contract with the thought he’d be Lance’s backup.

Then Lance got hurt in Week 2 and was lost for the year, leading to Garoppolo starting again, only to suffer his own season-ending foot injury in Week 13. In turn, then-rookie signal-caller Brock Purdy took the NFL by storm after being the final pick in last year’s draft. However, in the wake of Purdy’s own elbow injury in the NFC Championship game, a soon-to-be free-agent Garoppolo could ultimately return, right?

Sounds like a script for a bad Hollywood miniseries, right?

Well, Niners general manager John Lynch wants to put a stop to all of that.

John Lynch tells reporters that 49ers’ time with Jimmy Garoppolo has ‘probably run its course’

Lynch is attending the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and he met with the media on Tuesday.

Naturally, Garoppolo’s future with the franchise was a question.

“Jimmy’s been tremendous for us,” Lynch responded to a query. “We won a lot of football games with Jimmy. I do believe that it’s probably run its course, we leave with fond memories.”

That pretty much answers that.

Read More: Why Jimmy Garoppolo struggles to find a new team in 2023

Earlier this offseason, during his end-of-year press conference, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that he didn’t “see any scenario” where Garoppolo would return to San Francisco again, leading some to believe there was friction between player and coach.

Perhaps, but that would only reinforce Lynch’s words about moving on.

If that’s the case, Garoppolo will leave the 49ers with a 38-17 regular-season record over the last six seasons.