Jimmy Garoppolo is a bona fide superstar in the Bay Area. The new San Francisco 49ers franchise quarterback signed a five-year deal worth up to $137.5 million after a five-game audition for head coach Kyle Shanahan which resulted in five victories with three coming against playoff teams.
Garoppolo had to prove himself to Shanahan, who still had thoughts of Kirk Cousins dancing in his head. By the quarterback's third victory, the 49ers head coach was okay with moving on from Cousins.
The Garoppolo hype is real with high expectations for the 26-year-old quarterback in the coming season. He will finally take part in a full offseason learning Shanahan's offense, which should significantly benefit him in 2018.
Legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana joined the Good Morning Football cast on Tuesday and briefly shared his thoughts on the team's newest signal caller. Kyle Brandt asked Montana about the Garoppolo hype both in San Francisco and around the league.
"I think it's still a little early for it, myself," Montana said. "He's obviously had a lot more success in the games he's played in so far than the other quarterbacks that have been there recently.
"I think there's a lot of excitement in the Bay Area about it. I think this year will be a big tell on it. They paid a lot of money for him, but I think there's some belief there that he'll be there for a while."
It's true that it's early. Garoppolo has only started seven games over his four-year NFL game. Of course, he won each of them. In six appearances and five starts with the 49ers last season, Garoppolo completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 1,560 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
"I think there's a lot of excitement in the Bay Area for him."@JoeMontana shares his thoughts on the start of the Jimmy G era with the @49ers pic.twitter.com/XuZ49B08CQ
— GMFB (@gmfb) April 10, 2018