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Jimmy Garoppolo was so busy absorbing the playbook when he arrived with the San Francisco 49ers last year that he couldn't even get the names straight of his new teammates. Instead of calling them by name, he was content with just saying, "Hey, bro," or "What's up, man?"
Garoppolo explained this week on the
Tolbert & Lund Podcast that he would be standing there during practices and explaining a route to a player whose name he didn't even know. And then when it came to the plays, well, he was just hoping to get things half right on the football field.
Garoppolo explained that there were some games last year during which he would walk up to the line of scrimmage, look around at the offense, and only know what one side was doing.
As for the other half? "Yeah, I hope this side is right," the quarterback would think.
Garoppolo had an excuse. Most of the players on the team had a whole offseason to learn the playbook. He was thrown into the fire with just a few weeks of preparation. Still, it was enough to move the offense up and down the field and win each of his five starts.
In case Garoppolo thought his new teammates didn't notice, he was wrong. He didn't fool anyone.
"Last year, he would come in the huddle, and he didn't know the offense at all," running back Matt Breida said on the
Tolbert & Lund Podcast this week. "He would call a play, and we'd be looking at each other like, 'What did he say?'"
Whatever Garoppolo was calling, it wasn't a play his teammates were familiar with.
"It would just be amazing because he would still go out there and make the completion or make it work somehow," Breida continued. "And now, second year around, watching him go in there with confidence, knowing what he's doing, and understanding why he's doing it, it's just amazing.
"I think the sky's the limit for Jimmy. He can be a Hall of Famer, easily. He's got to keep working hard and doing what he's doing. That second year around helps you out so much when you get to understand everything."
You can listen to the entire interview with Breida below.
According to Sports Illustrated contributor Noah Strackbein, who writes for "All Steelers" on the network, there's a level of confidence within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that they can strike a deal for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—and at a bargain rate.
"According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real," Strackbein wrote. "While nothing is imminent, they 'would be surprised if it didn't happen.' But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price."
While it seems unlikely that the 49ers would part ways with Aiyuk for anything less than a first-round draft
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
