Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has started just eight games since a mid-season 2017 trade sent him from the New England Patriots to the San Francisco 49ers. A torn ACL during Week 3 cut his 2018 campaign short.
Garoppolo is looking forward to getting back to work in 2019.
The 49ers' franchise quarterback signed a then-record five-year, $137.5 million deal with the team exactly one year ago and took to Instagram to reflect on the anniversary.
"One year ago today my life changed forever and I became a part of the 49ers Family," wrote Garoppolo. "There's been ups and downs, but the 2019 season can't get here fast enough!!"
The injury to Garoppolo derailed the 49ers' high hopes for the 2018 season. It occurred just weeks after San Francisco lost its featured running back, Jerick McKinnon, to a torn ACL. Instead of offering the Los Angeles Rams some competition for the division, the 49ers won just four games and suffered their fourth-straight losing season.
The 49ers hope to have Garoppolo, who is over four months removed from his injury, throwing and doing some non-contact work during organized team activities, which kick off in late-May. Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently said on KNBR that the quarterback is running around and throwing again.
"He looks good," Shanahan said last week. "I'm not allowed to be working with him right now, but I was in the office a couple of days ago, and I was stalking him, watching him (on the practice field) outside my window, and he actually surprised me. He was running around, throwing, doing some stuff out of the pocket.
"I even had to call our trainer in there and go, 'Should he be moving that much?' And he said, 'He should be,' so it was cool to see."
Both Garoppolo and McKinnon are expected to be healthy for the 2019 season. The 49ers were given 50-1 odds to win Super Bowl 54 following this year's big game.
H/t to Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee for the find and pointing out that tackle Mike McGlinchey loves Garoppolo.