A lot was riding on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo last season. After an impressive five-game run in 2017 and being signed to a then-record five-year deal the following February, excitement for the 2018 season was high.
The 49ers' hopes got derailed during a Week 3 game in Kansas City.
Garoppolo was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL, and most realized at the time that the 49ers' season was likely lost as well. San Francisco went on to win just four games last season as Garoppolo worked his way back from the devasting and disheartening injury.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful that 2019 will be different. While Garoppolo may have lost a year in his on-the-field development, having the quarterback back on the field for the upcoming season will be a significant boost for the offense.
Shanahan sat down with MJ Acosta of NFL Network this week and was asked about the anticipation heading into last season.
"We had a lot of anticipation last year going into it," Shanahan said. "We didn't get to play a lot of games with [Garoppolo]. We only had him for about three weeks (in 2017) before we got to play with him, so going through the whole offseason was fun."
Despite being a five-year veteran, Garoppolo has yet to start a full season's worth of games. He started just two during his first three-and-a-half NFL seasons in New England, then five in 2017 after being traded to San Francisco, and three in 2018 before his injury.
Shanahan knows Garoppolo needs more in-game experience. Everyone in Santa Clara wants to see the quarterback finally get a full season under his belt.
"We knew we were going to go through a lot in the year (2018)," Shanahan continued. "Jimmy hasn't got to play a whole season yet. I was looking forward to that for him. Not just because he would have helped our team but also Jimmy needs to play. He's going to get that opportunity this year. He's got a lot of ability. He's played very well when he has played.
"I know there will be some bumps in the road for him as we go through this year, as there is for all quarterbacks, but we're very excited to go through them with him. I thought it would be last year, but we just had to wait one year longer than expected."
Shanahan went on to discuss Garoppolo's rehab. The coach rehashed a lot of what he's already said in recent weeks. Because of his need to work with the training and medical staffs, Garoppolo is in the building every day. That would not be the case if not for the injury.
"I get to watch out my window, see how his rehab is going," Shanahan said. "If you just went off that, you'd think he can play now. He can drop back. He can throw and everything. But we're going to be patient with him and make sure he can take some hits. That will be a while before he can do that but (there is) plenty of time before the season."