Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers bid heartfelt farewell to each other

Jimmy Garoppolo is no longer a member of the 49ers, but the two sides provided a heartwarming goodbye at the end of this notable era in franchise history.

2023 will mark the end of one era in San Francisco 49ers history.

OK, the departure of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo via NFL free agency to the Las Vegas Raiders won’t quite hit the mark like when Hall of Famer Joe Montana left for the Kansas City Chiefs.

But, Garoppolo’s six-year tenure with the Niners will leave its mark in multiple ways.

Garoppolo joined Vegas shortly after free agency began, which capped off what many thought was inevitable in his leaving. That said, Garoppolo was part of similar “goodbye” discussions a year ago, only via a potential trade, to the point where the quarterback even bade farewell to the media in February of 2022.

It just took another year for him to leave officially.

Whatever Garoppolo’s legacy will be with San Francisco, there’s no questioning the team was successful with him under center. He owned a 38-17 regular-season record with the 49ers, which included two deep trips into the postseason, reaching two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. He also helped the 2022 Niners get into the playoffs again but suffered a season-ending foot injury before the postseason began.

At the same time, Jimmy G was impacted by serious injuries and limited in playmaking ability. His critics won’t hesitate to point that out.

Still, the consummate professional, both he and San Francisco didn’t hesitate to appreciate the other when his departure was made official.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers finally say goodbye to each other

Breakups can be tough, and it’s not shocking to see one of the first posts from the 49ers’ social media team go live on Twitter not long after his signing with the Raiders went official:

Touching. And there are plenty of great team moments in there in which Garoppolo played a part.

Heck, the Niners even got @RitaOak_Art involved:

Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.3 million deal with Las Vegas, per Over the Cap, leaving San Francisco to decide whether or not Brock Purdy or Trey Lance should be the team’s starter moving forward.

For his time there, Garoppolo told the 49ers the following in his introductory press conference with the Raiders:

"I just want to thank the Yorks, thank the 49ers for everything that they’ve done. My time there was awesome. Enjoyed it, a lot of ups and downs. It was a fun time, but turning the page now, moving on to the next chapter in my life, and can’t wait to get started in Vegas."

Related Story: Jimmy Garoppolo appreciation post: 49ers QB’s positive legacy in the Bay Area

It’s the next chapter for the Niners, too, who saw what a successful team could be like without Garoppolo at the helm after Purdy relieved him down the stretch last season.

All told, though, San Francisco benefited from Garoppolo’s presence when he first came to the squad in the middle of 2017.

If nothing else, fans can be thankful and happy for that.