San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has had his share of doubters this offseason. Don't tell the Niners' new offensive tackle, Trent Williams, that Garoppolo is a question mark for the team. It doesn't sound like the seven-time Pro Bowler believes that.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media spoke with Williams last week and asked the veteran offensive lineman about his new quarterback. The full interview finally aired this week on the RapSheet + Friends podcast.
"I think Jimmy G is awesome," Williams told Rapoport. "I think he's proven he's a quarterback you can win with. In this league, that's just hard to find. Quarterback is the toughest position to pin down. I think that's why you see the contracts where they are.
"So, having a quarterback that you know is going to make the right read, the right throw, I think that has to allow Kyle (Shanahan) -- give him a chance to sleep at night because just having a guy that you know who won't throw the game away for you. You put him in the best position possible, he'll win."
On April 25, the 49ers sent a fifth-round pick in this year's draft and a third-rounder next year to Washington in exchange for Williams. It reunites that tackle with Shanahan, his former offensive coordinator of four years and current head coach in San Francisco.
Garoppolo, in his first full NFL season as a starter, went 13-3, helped guide the 49ers to their first division crown since the 2012 season, the best record in the conference, and a Super Bowl appearance. Along the way, he completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,978 yards with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during the regular season.
"From being in my position, from not having a lot of success in the league," Williams continued, "having a good quarterback and then to having kind of musical chairs back there, I know the importance of it. I'm extremely happy to be part of an offense that really don't need me to win. I just add to it."
You can listen to Rapoport's entire conversation with Williams below. It begins at about the 20:30 mark.
