The San Francisco 49ers could have used the franchise tag on Jimmy Garoppolo and gotten 16 more games (or more if they make the playoffs) to analyze the quarterback, but general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan saw the writing on the wall. Tagging Garoppolo would have been a less expensive short-term solution, but it didn't make sense when looking at the long-term picture.
The quarterback market has changed since the 49ers signed Garoppolo in February to a then-NFL-record five-year deal worth up to $137.5 million. That's an average annual salary of $27.5 million. Although, Garoppolo will earn much more than that in 2018.
Since Garoppolo put pen to paper, Kirk Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million fully-guaranteed deal in free agency to join the Minnesota Vikings. That was a slight bump above Garoppolo's annual salary ($28 million average).
Matt Ryan agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $150 million with $100 million guaranteed. That's an average annual salary of $30 million.
Most recently, Aaron Rodgers finally received his long-expected new deal with the Green Bay Packers. The four-year extension is reportedly worth up to $134 million, which averages out to $33.5 million. Rodgers will also reportedly receive a record $57.5 million signing bonus and earn more than $80 million by March, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The three quarterbacks mentioned above have a whole lot more experience than Garoppolo. Still, if the 49ers quarterback continues to perform at a high level and rack up the wins, his five-year deal is going to seem like a bargain. It hasn't even been seven months since Garoppolo signed his then-record deal and he's already the fourth-highest paid player in the league.
While many criticized throwing that much money at a quarterback with just seven starts on his resume, it looks like Lynch and Shanahan made the right call. Had they waited a year, signing Garoppolo could have cost the 49ers significantly more.
