Jimmy Garoppolo has played on his share of quality football teams over the course of his NFL career, so when he says this year's 49ers training camp is as good as it gets from a competitive standpoint, that's a very positive sign.
Garoppolo joined KNBR's "Papa & Lund" show Wednesday, during which he was asked if this year's 49ers team was the most talented one he's been a part of since being traded from the New England Patriots in 2017. He didn't quite answer that question in the affirmative, but he did say this year's camp stacks up with any he's seen in terms of competition.
"It's got to be close, I would say," Garoppolo said. "I've been in a decent amount of training camps and this has been as competitive as they come. One day it's the offense it's making plays, the next day it's defense, and even period to period."
Garoppolo played on three postseason teams in his three years with the Patriots, with two of those teams winning the Super Bowl. In 2019, of course, Garoppolo was part of a 49ers team that came just short of winning what would have been his third Super Bowl ring. He says competitiveness is the hallmark of a good team, and that this year's team has been putting it on display.
"I've been on some good teams and I've seen some good football, and that's really what marks it," Garoppolo said. "It's not when one side of the ball dominates one day. It's when you can go back and forth and be competitive. And that's what we've been doing lately. That's what I'm excited about."
This year's 49ers team will make its preseason debut on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT). If Garoppolo plays on Saturday, it'll be his first game action since an ankle injury sidelined him in November of 2020. He's not certain whether or not he'll play, but it sounds like he'd eventually like to see some time if given the chance.
"I think we'll play. I don't know how much we'll play," Garoppolo said. "We'll let the coaches decide that kind of stuff. I think preseason's good to knock some of the rust off, especially how last year went and everything. It'll be good to get back out there."
Garoppolo talked about a number of other topics during the interview, including his relationship with Trey Lance ("It's been cool. Trey's a good dude. He's a hard worker and everything like that. But I think our quarterback room, we've got a fun room to be in," Garoppolo said) and his thoughts on the progress of wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
You can listen to the full interview below: