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There has been a lot of offseason criticism thrown on the shoulders of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. A lot. Probably more than necessary. It's understandable given how his 2019 campaign ended. Yes, he had a spectacular regular season. It was
among the best in franchise history.
Everyone tends to look at the playoffs, though.
Garoppolo didn't do much during the 49ers' first two playoff games. In his defense, he didn't have to. The team put up dominating performances against the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. Garoppolo looked on his way to being named the MVP of Super Bowl LIV before...well...Patrick Mahomes happened, and Garoppolo stalled in the fourth quarter.
Then you have general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan admitting that they briefly flirted with the idea of pursuing
Tom Brady.
Briefly.
In the end, the two took a hard look at the quarterback they already have and determined they were happy with Garoppolo, whom they saw as a better long-term fit for the 49ers.
Still, it's the offseason. Stories need to be written. Sports talk shows need to...you know...talk. With Brady out of the picture, some are already looking to next offseason, and
speculating on Aaron Rodgers returning to the Bay Area.
There seems to be no end.
So what does that mean for Garoppolo? Is he really on the hot seat in 2020? That's what
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated was recently asked.
Yes, Garoppolo's contract offers some flexibility, explains Breer. The 49ers could move on from the quarterback without much consequence. None of his salary in the remaining years of his deal is guaranteed. Trading him, should they desire to do so, wouldn't have any obstacles.
Said Breer: "Now for the important part—the Niners confronted this reality in March when the chance to sign Tom Brady came up and, as part of the process, GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan went back and broke down a boatload of Garoppolo's tape over three or four days."
The result? They seemingly fell in love with Garoppolo all over again.
"We went back and took a hard look at Jimmy,"
Lynch told Breer in May; his words mirroring what he said
during previous conversations. "We grinded for a period of three, four days. And I think we both came back and said, 'You know what? We've got the long-term answer in our building right now, and we feel really strongly about that.' As enticing as it might be—and we felt like it was a responsibility to take a look (at Brady), because that's a very unique situation—we did that, we talked with Jimmy, and told him just what we did.
"I think he appreciated that. And the great news is we're more convicted than ever that Jimmy's the guy that we want to work with going forward. We feel like he's got a lot more in him. Shoot, he was a huge reason we were in the Super Bowl last year, and why we have every intention of getting back and finishing the job."
What does Breer take away from the situation in Santa Clara and his offseason conversation with Lynch? Should fans be concerned that the 49ers might replace Garoppolo in the near future?
"So yeah, they have flexibility with Garoppolo," writes Breer. "But they also really like Garoppolo, which sometimes gets lost in the discussion."
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
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than a week away, it's common for the rumor mill to start churning, especially with players who are actively seeking a new contract. It was just two short years ago that WR Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers prior to draft day, only for cooler heads to prevail and eventually agree to a new deal.
Now, it's WR Brandon Aiyuk's turn to try and get paid and rumors surfaced over the weekend that he too would request to be dealt. While that report was quickly shot down by his agent, there's still a lot of discussion about Aiyuk's future and if other teams will come calling on draft night.
Legendary columnist Mike Silver joined
