The San Francisco 49ers will be one of the most discussed teams this offseason. All of that has to do with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and how the team closed out the 2017 season.
Garoppolo, who the 49ers traded for on October 30, started the final five games of the season. He won each of them. During his audition with the 49ers, Garoppolo completed 120 of his 178 pass attempts for 1,560 yards, seven touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.2 during his five starts and six game appearances.
Garoppolo is scheduled to become a free agent, but it is widely believed the 49ers will be able to sign him to a long-term contract or, at the very least, use the franchise tag to retain him for an additional season and work out a multi-year deal down the road.
There are already high expectations for the 49ers in 2018 and free agency hasn't even started yet. In fact, we're not even done with the 2017 season, which has yet to play a single playoff game.
Should 49ers fans hit the brakes on the 49ers hype train which is speeding into the 2018 offseason? Kyle Brandt of NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" joined the "No Huddle" podcast this week and he doesn't think you should.
"It would be one thing if Garoppolo came and won a few games," Brandt told Al Sacco. "'Oh, that's a nice story. He'll be the guy moving forward for sure.' But the fact that he just ended the season perfectly and he hasn't lost a game yet. I can tell you one thing for sure; I don't care what [GMF co-host Peter] Schrager said about the hype train (and) not getting on it, we're going to talk so much Niners in the offseason, truly."
Brandt believes all of the excitement surrounding the future of the 49ers is warranted.
"Of course you should be that excited man, because, look, [Garoppolo] barely got his feet wet with the offense, and with the coach, and he was still so good," Brandt continued. "Shanahan is still fitting in. They'll get better players in the draft. There's nowhere to go but up.
"Everything right that he did at the end of the season, it was just crazy. If he just came in and looked okay and maybe won a couple of games, I think you guys would take that, you know? But instead, it was like he became the story of the league.
"So yes, don't pump the brakes. Hit the gas."
Also on the podcast episode, Sacco and Zain Naqvi reflect on the up and down (or down and then up) 2017 season and what it all means heading into what promises to be an exciting offseason.
You can also listen to the "No Huddle" podcast on our dedicated podcast page, iTunes, Google Play, or SoundCloud. Be sure to subscribe via iTunes as well.