Jimmy Garoppolo was a trooper during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers because despite his surprising success the team still dealt him, as he puts it, a “hard hand” during his final seasons with the team.
When Jimmy Garoppolo arrived in San Francisco after a 2017 trade deadline deal with the New England Patriots there was hope he could be a long-term answer at quarterback. When he went 5-0 in his starts that season, it raised the expectation level of what he might be for the franchise.
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However, over the next five years, his tenure with the 49ers was a rollercoaster ride due to injuries and inconsistent play. Nevertheless, he was a winning player when he was on the field and even took the team to a Super Bowl in 2019. Yet, just as much as he helped the team become a force in the NFC, he also seemed to be what hindered them from being a championship group.
That is why the organization made a very bold decision in 2021 by trading four draft picks — including three first-rounders — to move up and take Trey Lance with the third overall pick in that year’s NFL Draft. While the rookie QB was not expected to start that season, it clearly put Garoppolo in a difficult position where the team obviously had his replacement waiting in the wings.
Jimmy Garoppolo stats (49ers): 38-17 record, 13,599 yards, 82 TD, 42 INT, 99.2 rating
Garoppolo revealed on Wednesday in a conversation with the San Francisco Chronicle that the awkwardness of 2021 as a starter with his replacement looking over his shoulder was actually worse than last season when he lost the lead role and had to take a back seat to Lance during training camp and early in the season.
“Yeah, the (2021 season) was real awkward. That was tougher than this past year, honestly. You’re always gonna be dealt a hard hand at some point, and you’ve just got to make the best of it, and that’s what I’ve tried to do. That was a hard time. But I had some good people around me to lean on. The brothers in the locker room, those guys played a big role. I don’t think the fans always saw all that stuff, but those guys really picked me up when I was down sometimes.”
– Jimmy Garoppolo
jimmy Garoppolo signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in March and is set to be their starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.