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While San Francisco 49ers fans may unofficially recognize October 30, 2017, as Jimmy Garoppolo Day, for the quarterback's hometown of Arlington Heights in Illinois, that day fell on May 8, 2014. That was the first day of that year's draft.
"While we know he will move on to play elsewhere in his professional career, we are proud that his home will always be Arlington Heights," read the village proclamation.
Before his NFL career, Garoppolo played college football at Eastern Illinois, which sits just 200 miles south of his hometown. At that time in 2014, he was preparing to begin his NFL career and wasn't sure where he would land.
Garoppolo called the possibility of playing for his hometown team, the Chicago Bears, a dream scenario. Instead, it was the New England Patriots that made him a second-round selection (No. 62 overall) and would later trade him to the 49ers in return for a pick in the same round.
While Garoppolo's hopes of playing for Chicago never came to fruition, his first start with the 49ers occurred on December 3, 2017, in front of a hometown crowd at Soldier Field. The 49ers
defeated the Bears 15-14. Garoppolo led his team on a 14-play, 86-yard drive, before kicker Robbie Gould's game-winning field goal with four seconds remaining sealed the victory.
"I got to see my main family, close friends, college friends, hometown friends, all them after the game," said Garoppolo a few days after the win. "They were real excited. There was a lot of red in the stands. I knew where they were sitting, so I looked over there a couple of times. It was a good homecoming."
Garoppolo went on to win his next four starts with the 49ers.
"He's a handsome lad with an unbelievable future,"
joked Doug Millsaps, who was his football coach at Rolling Meadows High School. "And he's going to be rich."
Millsaps wasn't wrong. In February, the 49ers signed Garoppolo to a five-year contract worth up to $137.5 million. It was the largest NFL contract at the time.
Happy fourth anniversary of Jimmy Garoppolo Day. Thanks to the 49ers' official Twitter account for the obscure fact.
Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reports that the San Francisco 49ers were among several NFL teams in attendance for former Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton's pro day workout. The defender also goes by the name "Johnny."
Illinois DT Johnny Newton, a projected 1st-round pick, just wrapped up an impressive Pro Day — showcasing elite explosion and power after a Jones fracture that he's fully healed from.I'm told the following teams were in attendance, among others:BillsCowboys49ersJets… pic.twitter.com/ggMIiIBkub—
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
