"I like being here," San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told reporters on January 1. "I think we had a good thing going at the end of this year. We'll see what happens."
After months of speculation, we now know what will happen. Garoppolo will be the face of the 49ers franchise for at least the next five seasons. The quarterback, who has become a Bay Area (and national) phenomenon since joining the 49ers, agreed to a five-year deal worth $137.5 million on Thursday to remain in San Francisco. The deal was first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network and makes Garoppolo the highest-paid player in NFL history.
The 49ers have finalized the deal and officially announced its completion on Thursday night, making it official. A press conference will be held on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT at Levi's Stadium.
IT'S OFFICIAL! The #49ers have signed @JimmyG_10 to a five-year contract extension.
Details: https://t.co/E6m50YH7TX pic.twitter.com/wTHfKWlvPM
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) February 9, 2018
The 49ers acquired Garoppolo on October 30, 2017, via a trade with the New England Patriots. While he entered the end of the Week 12 game against the Seattle Seahawks following an injury to rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard, he wasn't named the starter until the next week against the Chicago Bears.
Garoppolo went on to help the 49ers win their final five games of the 2017 season, which started with two consecutive road games and then finished with three matchups against playoff teams (Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams). He completed 120 of his 178 pass attempts for 1,560 yards, seven touchdowns, five interceptions, a passer rating of 96.2, and a rushing touchdown during his five starts and six game appearances with the 49ers.
"He was great for us, and he made people around him better," 49ers general manager John Lynch said of Garoppolo on January 2. "I think that's the mark of a player who has an opportunity to be special, is do you make people around you better. He did that."
Garoppolo has won each of his seven career NFL starts dating back to 2016 when he started the first two games of the season for the Patriots.
New England initially selected him in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2014 draft. Before his time with the 49ers, Garoppolo appeared in 17 games (two starts) over his four seasons with the Patriots. During those games, he completed 67-percent of his passes for 690 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 106.2.
Over his career, Garoppolo has completed 183 of his 272 passes for 2,250 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, a passer rating of 99.7, and a rushing touchdown during his time with both the Patriots and 49ers.