Julian Edelman criticizes 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s mentality, toughness

Last year, retired tight end Martellus Bennett had some harsh words about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The two were teammates for only one season in New England, but it was enough time for Bennett to form an opinion of the then-Patriots quarterback.

"Bro, we lost two games [in 2016]," Bennett said on a podcast. "One of them was because Jimmy Garoppolo was being a b---h. He decided not to play right before the game. Jacoby [Brissett] came out and played with a f---ed up thumb and played his heart out, but Jimmy was just being a b---h about it all."

Bennett continued by saying you can't win with a quarterback like Garoppolo, claiming Garoppolo didn't want to play while injured because his agent was protecting him. The former tight end believes the Patriots lost the next game because of Garoppolo's last-minute decision not to play.

It would appear that another former Patriots player and former teammate of Garoppolo's agrees with Bennett.

"He hurts his non-throwing shoulder, his left shoulder, and Jacoby came in, led us to a win," former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman said. "... We go into Week 4, and I guess Jimmy was practicing and then decided not to play. And Jacoby played with no ligaments in his thumb, which you can't do that as a quarterback. You can't grip.

"And if it's your left [shoulder for Garoppolo], a lot of guys got mad about it. I'm not going to lie—I got mad about it. I sacrifice my body all day long. I was taking shots for this, numbing up that, ribs, broken ribs, shoulders, Grade 3, hanging on by limps just to play, and I can understand why Marty thinks like that."

Garoppolo's injury woes continued after being traded to the 49ers. He suffered a season-ending ACL injury early in the 2018 season and missed 10 games due to injuries in 2020. Last season, however, he played through a torn ligament and chipped bone in his right thumb, making throwing a football a challenge. Then, during a playoff win against the Dallas Cowboys, Garoppolo suffered a shoulder injury and played through that.

"I can't believe this s--- held up, to be completely honest with you," Garoppolo said after the loss against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. "The thumb, the shoulder … all of it. It was one thing after another. … Every time I threw. It was a lot."

The 49ers drafted quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick last year and looked to trade Garoppolo in March. However, the veteran quarterback undergoing shoulder surgery on March 8 halted San Francisco's talks with other teams. Now, with the market of quarterback-needy teams nearly dried up, the Niners' choices are limited.

Garoppolo is expected to start throwing again in the coming weeks, and the 49ers hope to reopen trade talks when that happens.