The 49ers laid out a logical defense for their decision to bring back Jimmy Garoppolo at a decreased price tag in 2022.
We knew from Monday’s reports that Jimmy G had agreed to a $6.5 million base salary, down from his original paycheck of $24.2 million. On Tuesday, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo offered more financial details on how Garoppolo can earn up to an additional $8.95 million in incentives for a max contract total of $15.45 million.
Check out the full breakdown below, via Garafolo:
- $6.5 million fully guaranteed base salary
- $500,000 total in per-game roster bonuses ($29,000 per game he’s active)
- $250,000 for each game he plays at least 25% of offensive snaps
- $100,000 for each game he plays at least 25% of offensive snaps and wins
- $500,000 for each playoff game he plays at least 50% of offensive snaps
- $500,000 if he wins conference championship
- $1 million if he takes 50% or more of offensive snaps in Super Bowl
This seems like a pretty fair deal for both sides, as Garoppolo’s role has clearly been defined as Trey Lance’s backup heading into 2022. Though Garoppolo didn’t take part in the team’s training camp or attend team meetings the past month, the 49ers aren’t worried about his ability to step in as the No. 2 quarterback for Week 1 against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11.
So, Garoppolo will get $29,000 per game to hold a clipboard on the sidelines and could make $7 million this season without stepping between the lines. The 49ers are happy to have Garoppolo as their insurance, as Kyle Shanahan touted with reporters on Tuesday.
“There are 32 starting quarterbacks in this league and we believe we have two of them now and that's really rare to have him in this situation,” Shanahan said.
Lance was sidelined for three weeks after injuring his knee in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals while taking some tough hits outside the pocket. The 49ers want to be cautious with their franchise QB this season, but have a trusted backup in Jimmy G.
