Latest On 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo
The 49ers endured one of the more bizarre situations at center in 2022, highlighted by their ability to qualify for the NFC title game despite suffering serious injuries from each of their top three quarterbacks. That leaves their off-season prospects fairly cloudy, with the likely exception of Jimmy Garoppolo.
It was long thought the veteran was en route from the Bay Area last offseason Trey Lance officially named the starter of the team moving forward. However, Garoppolo’s off-season shoulder surgery complicated a potential acquisition, and he remained in the Bay Area with a revised contract. That proved a smart move for both parties after Lance’s ankle injury pushed Garoppolo back into the starter role. 
The 31-year-old won seven of his ten starts this year and helped the team remain consistent on offense. Garoppolo was considered for another 49ers contract but suffered another serious injury that sidelined him for the stretch run and the postseason. Not least because of this, it is expected that this time he will leave in free hands.
Long considered one of the best dressing rooms in the league, Garoppolo is the team-friendly passer that it is. However, the tone of head coach struck Kyle Shanahan and managing director John Lynch During the team’s end of the season, media availability indicated tensions between them and the former Patriots second-round player. In fact, The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami notes that Garoppolo’s relationship with the San Francisco Brain Trust “seems to have gone down a bit” in the run-up to the NFC Championship game (subscription required).
A Garoppolo return was brought into play at some point prior to the 49ers’ loss to the Eagles, but the Super Bowl was seen as the earliest point at which he would realistically have been able to adapt. This scenario never evolved, with rookie sensation Brock Purdy and emergency backup josh johnson each sustained injuries in the NFC title game. Kawakami adds that he is not aware of a single incident that has caused relations to cool down around Garoppolo, but the presence of the latter in 2023 would undoubtedly complicate the situation with Lance and Purdy.
Given the current QB landscape in the NFL, Garoppolo likely won’t have a shortage of applicants. The Jets – who have been linked to a potential countless times Aaron Rodgers Handel and recently met with Free Agent Derek Carr — reportedly did homework on him. Given his background in the Bay Area, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo calls the Texans (now led by HC DeMeco Ryans) as another team to watch (video shortcut). He adds the Titans, Raiders and Buccaneers to the list of potential targets for Garoppolo, who may become increasingly desirable Lamar Jackson, Daniel Jones And Geno Smith play on the franchise tag.
Garoppolo’s impressive record of wins and losses at San Francisco is weighed down by his myriad injury woes, but leaving the team on a relatively poor note would spell a disappointing end to his tenure. However, he reckons he has a lot of options when it comes to his next chapter.