We probably won’t know whom the Steelers are pursuing to succeed Ben Roethlisberger for several more weeks. But we should cross one name off the list: Jimmy Garoppolo.
His putrid showing in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s NFC Championship, and dreadful performance all postseason, shows he’s not the right man to lead the Steelers back to championship contention.
Garoppolo’s career in San Francisco embodies why wins and losses aren’t always the best way to evaluate quarterbacks. Kyle Shanahan may be 31-14 with Garoppolo and 8-18 without him, but there’s little doubt the 49ers would’ve been in better position to outlast the Rams with a different QB under center. The 49ers were shut out after building a 10-point lead over Los Angeles late in the third, with Garoppolo going 3 of 9 for 30 yards and a brutal interception. In six playoff starts, he has a fourth quarter passer rating of 28.
Jimmy G’s late-game woes are an indictment of his ability. Shanahan may be able to scheme through the first three quarters, but the fourth is when talent shines, and Garoppolo continually falls short. (Granted, Shanahan does too, given his proclivity for overseeing teams that blow huge playoff leads. But that’s a story for a different blog.)
All postseason long, we’ve seen incredible quarterbacks lead their teams back from deficits and trade scores late in regulation. When Garoppolo had a chance to do that, he almost fell backwards — literally. The Rams ambushed him on 3rd-and-long and came away with the game-sealing pick.
There are points in Garoppolo’s favor. For starters, he’ll likely be available, since the Niners traded three first-round picks last year to move up so they could select Trey Lance. Cutting Garoppolo would also cost the 49ers just $1.4 million in dead cap money. We can dream about Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be on the market.
Garoppolo is seemingly one of the more realistic veteran options.
His skill set could also work in Matt Canada’s system, given Garoppolo’s comfort with motion screens and other plays of that ilk.
But at one point, championship-caliber quarterbacks must step up and make plays. Garoppolo can’t do it. He may elevate the Steelers’ floor, but it would be close to their ceiling.