| What were you doing five months ago today? Watching the Super Bowl, of course. What was Jimmy Garoppolo doing? Nearly winning it. And yet, bizarre as it sounds, Garoppolo doesn’t have the kind of nailed-on, locked-and-bolted, treasury-backed hold on a long-term future with the San Francisco 49ers as you might expect for a guy who was a few throws, or maybe even just one, from being a world champion. Before Tom Brady resurfaced in Tampa, the 49ers undertook a close, multi-day examination of the former New England Patriot – and of their own incumbent – and whether bringing TB12 “home” to the Bay Area was a worthy investment. Garoppolo says he didn’t take it as a slap in the face, and the San Francisco front office have launched a public relations offensive to point out it wasn’t intended that way, but it still creates an interesting dynamic. “Can you imagine applying this to any other walk of life?” FS1’s Nick Wright said on First Things First. “An old fling hits you up on Facebook, ‘You want to leave your wife for me?’ “‘Well, after three or four days of reflection I was like, ‘Nope, I’m good where I’m at.’’ Why are you saying this out loud? Why do you keep telling America, (general manager) John Lynch and (head coach) Kyle Shanahan, that you are in like, not in love, with your quarterback?” It poses another intriguing question. Would Garoppolo’s stock going into this season actually be higher if the team hadn’t made it to the Super Bowl, where he outplayed Patrick Mahomes for three quarters before ultimately falling short? When asked if this is a make-or-break year for Garoppolo, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote this week: “On the surface, this is a fair question, given the tire kicking San Francisco did with Tom Brady. And it’s also fair given the structure and relative affordability of Garoppolo’s contract.” For Garoppolo has three years remaining on his deal, but none of them are guaranteed, and come at market-reasonable price points of $25.2, $25.5 and $25.6 million. That means that, if things play out a certain way, Garoppolo could become a strong trade asset, with there being just $2.8 million in dead cap money to reconcile if he was traded, or if a serious deterioration in form led to him being cut. “We felt like it was a responsibility to take a look [at Brady], because that’s a very unique situation,” Lynch told SI recently. “We did that, we talked with Jimmy, and told him just what we did. I think he appreciated that. And the great news is we’re more convicted than ever that Jimmy’s the guy that we want to work with going forward. We feel like he’s got a lot more in him.” Take that however you like, but to me, the last phrase speaks volumes. They think he has a lot more in him, and whether he remains “the guy” may hinge on him unleashing that potential. The 49ers paid Garoppolo seven games into his 49ers career because they believed he would blossom into one of the best quarterbacks in football. That’s what they are still looking for. Garoppolo threw for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns last season, but was intercepted 13 times, a concern which he has himself admitted he is committed to rectifying. He’s a good quarterback, but he’ll need to show he can be a great one to satisfy the 49ers’ hunger. How different the narrative could have been. Garoppolo was not electrifying against the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami, but for three quarters, he was purposeful, calm and mightily efficient. San Francisco smoothed into what seemed to be a decisive lead and appeared to have the Lombardi Trophy at their fingertips, before Mahomes burst into magical life. Toward the end of the contest, Garoppolo connected on only three of 11 throws and yet, even when the Chiefs took a late lead, had a shot to win it all. Deep into the fourth quarter, Garoppolo had Emmanuel Sanders wide open and headed for the end zone on a post route, but missed him with an overthrow that might otherwise have shifted destiny. That might have been the moment the doubters started to find voice. The murmurs have only increased since. It is tricky. Are we really discussing the merits of a player who went 13-3 last season? It seems absurd, but football is a business and ambitious teams make big, bold moves when they feel it suits their pursuit of the ultimate prize. Been really good isn’t always enough. Anyone can be the fall guy in that process, even a guy who was about to win the Super Bowl, but didn’t. Here’s what others have said … Grant Cohn, Sports Illustrated: “If the 49ers really, really liked Garoppolo they would have extended his contract this offseason, removed the ‘escape clause’ and made him more affordable. Most fans and media people in the Bay Area expected the 49ers would do this. They didn’t. Which means the 49ers don’t like Garoppolo as much as they say they do. Simple as that. They want to like Garoppolo. They hope he can be great. But until they extend his contract, he’s on notice.” Mike Florio, Profootballtalk.com: “The 49ers admit that they considered pursuing Tom Brady in free agency, before deciding to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo. The mere fact that it got to the point that they told Garropolo about it shows that it was real. And even though Garoppolo is saying all the right things, the clear message is that they’ll continue to explore their options unless Garoppolo gives them a reason not to.” Ronnie Lott, former San Francisco 49er: “What I believe is that he’s (Garoppolo) going to get better and the reason he’s going to get better is that he’s going to understand the offense better, he understands a lot more about the discipline of the offense and another thing I think is going be great for him is that being with the guy —arguably the best offensive mind in football, that’s Shanahan — all of a sudden you have to be able to know that you’re going to find ways to enhance your game because he’s going to find ways to enhance your game. Bill [Walsh] would enhance Joe’s (Montana) game because he found ways to understand what more Joe could do with his game and that’s the same with Jimmy.“ |
