Jimmy Garoppolo has shown a lot this season. Some good. Some bad. Has he shown enough good to make his current team, the San Francisco 49ers, consider keeping him around after this season?
You know the story. The 49ers already have Garoppolo's replacement on the roster. In April, they drafted quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick after trading away a haul of future draft capital to move up and do so.
In fact, it seemed like the 49ers were inclined to turn to that replacement following his first start, a strong showing in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. However, a knee sprain suffered in that game hindered those potential plans, as he was still unable to play in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts, even with the benefit of San Francisco's Week 6 bye. Instead, a still-not-100% Jimmy Garoppolo—still dealing with a calf strain—took the start.
Now, following a 5-2 stretch after that Colts game, which put San Francisco back into the playoff race, including some hard-fought, gutsy wins, it's clear that the veteran quarterback will finish the season as the 49ers starter. But, could the marriage between Garoppolo and San Francisco extend past this season?
Peter King of NBC Sports isn't so sure that a transition from Garoppolo to Lance in 2022 is as near a certainty as most believe it to be.
"I'm told the Niners have not made up their minds, at all, about how to handle their quarterback situation in 2022 and beyond," King wrote in his weekly Football Morning in America column. "They shouldn't be. How do you know how Garoppolo will play down the stretch, and into a playoff run if that's the fate of this season? I'm also told the Niners have been impressed, with Garoppolo's career on the line, with how he's handled this weird year, with Lance being the third pick in the draft and with Garoppolo expected to just handle things like a pro. He has."
Working in Garoppolo's favor is his attitude toward what could have been a difficult situation. It's tough knowing your successor is waiting in the wings and not allowing that to be a distraction.
King's not wrong. Garoppolo has endured an enormity of rumors, stemming from the 49ers looking at almost every single quarterback possibility the previous two offseasons, culminating in the drafting of Lance.
After a rocky stretch in the middle of the season as he recovered from his calf injury, Garoppolo has rebounded well and put the 49ers in positions to win, mainly as a game manager, even though he still commits the rookie mistakes that have caused the talk around the quarterback position in the first place.
Kyle Shanahan understands the position he put Garoppolo in early and showered his veteran with praise for being the leader and professional that he is, and keeping this 49ers team within distance of the playoffs.
"Jimmy's one of my favorite people that I've ever coached," head coach Kyle Shanahan said, per King. "He's a hell of a dude. He's not trying to hide anything. I also don't want to downplay it and say this whole situation is just not a big deal. It's a huge deal. Really hard on him. But he came in with the right mindset all the way back in OTAs. He hasn't gotten sideways at all through any of it. No matter what he hears, he's been the exact same guy I've known the four years prior, and that's given us a chance to fight through this year. It's given us the chance to be at where we're at right now."
Following their overtime, playoff-like win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garoppolo and the 49ers face the Atlanta Falcons at home this Sunday with the chance to gain more traction as the NFC's 6th seed.
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