Jimmy Garoppolo’s exit from the 49ers was unceremonious, partly because we saw the writing on the wall for two years.
Before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Niners traded three first-rounders and a third-rounder to move up to No. 3. In a quarterback-heavy draft that included five signal-callers taken in the first round, the Niners ultimately decided to take Trey Lance with their high pick.
In a recent interview with Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, Garoppolo admitted that 2021 wasn’t the smoothest for him, individually.
“Yeah, the year before was real awkward,” Garoppolo told Silver. “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.”
We never saw any public signs of major discontent from Garoppolo, who was pro's pro about the situation.
After that 2021 campaign, Garoppolo made an emotional farewell to the 49ers Faithful for their support over the previous four-plus seasons. Except, he came back for more season after shoulder surgery hurt his chances to find work elsewhere. Throughout it all, Lance lauded Garoppolo for his leadership and referred to him as a big brother.
Garoppolo was a key figure to the 49ers’ NFC title run last year, as he kept the team afloat in 10 starts before Brock Purdy took over in Week 13 when Jimmy G hurt his foot. Now Purdy finds himself with the keys to the franchise as QB1, while Lance dukes it out with Sam Darnold for second-team reps.
As the 49ers and Raiders held a joint practice Thursday, Garoppolo’s former teammates like Christian McCaffrey had nothing but good things to say about him.
“I’m gonna go have to give him a big hug but I haven’t seen him yet,” McCaffrey said. “He’s just a stand-up guy. He’s one of the guys. He’s an interesting guy because he doesn’t promote himself ever, but he could. He’s won a lot of games. He’s obviously a great quarterback who’s been successful in the past, always has a smile on his face, always has a great attitude. Just a great guy to be around.”
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