Wednesday was an interesting sight at San Francisco 49ers practice. While you might think all of the attention would be on the field with the team practicing, many fans were interested in one player who has not been practicing—Jimmy Garoppolo. The quarterback was even seen interacting with teammates and fans.
That shows you what Garoppolo has meant to the 49ers and the fanbase over the years. The Garoppolo chapter is nearing an end. Second-year quarterback Trey Lance has taken over as the team's starting quarterback. San Francisco has been trying to trade Garoppolo all offseason. Of course, the veteran undergoing shoulder surgery on March 8 complicated things, ending trade talks at the time.
As the 49ers await a trade situation to develop, Garoppolo remains a popular presence at training camp.
"We have a real good relationship with Jimmy," head coach Kyle Shanahan said before Friday's practice. "There's no secret here of what the situation is. I think he fully understands the situation. We fully understand the situation. We make the best of it. Jimmy's out there. He's feeling better and better each day. I still see him.
"We have a real good relationship with Jimmy. He's done some really good things here. Fans getting pumped with him, and our players still love seeing him. That doesn't surprise me at all."
Garoppolo is allowed to do as much or as little with the team as he wants—while he remains on the roster. For now, that has involved conditioning work on the side as the quarterback ramps up his throwing efforts, waiting to prove to some organization that he can help in 2022.
"You have to report with the rules of the NFL today and stuff," Shanahan continued. "You have to report. So we made it the best for both. I think if Jimmy wanted to be in every single meeting and wanted to do everything, for sure, we would let him. I would guess that isn't what he would want totally. And when we asked him, that was accurate. He didn't totally want that. So he's just trying to get his body ready for, hopefully, the next situation he goes into."
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