It’s Okay if Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan Don’t Like Each Other

Prior to any scheduled press conference for head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers' communications team hands him notes concerning any of the current viral moments within the 49ers Universe. Before Thursday's media availability, Shanahan was made aware of the Zapruder-film-style video causing a firestorm on 49ers Twitter and turning everybody into lipreading experts.


Nobody really knows what Garoppolo said, and I'd wager good money that Jimmy probably doesn't even know or remember. However, the consensus seemed to center around some variation of "your plays suck, man."

I don't even know the full context of the game situation from that single clip, or which play just occurred, but it does raise one important question:

Who cares?

Is it proof that Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't like Kyle Shanahan? Maybe.

Does it matter if Garoppolo doesn't like Shanahan? Not at all.

It stands to reason that Kyle Shanahan doesn't like Garoppolo all that much either, especially this past Sunday Night.

But I'm here to tell you—it doesn't matter.

Jimmy Garoppolo is a professional quarterback and Kyle Shanahan is his head coach and boss. It's a working relationship. A business relationship. Shanahan is in the business of designing and calling plays to help his team win, and Garoppolo is in the business of executing those plays as they're called in. Fondness for each other does not factor in whatsoever to that relationship.

Have you liked every boss you've worked for in your career? I know I haven't. But, that never kept me from properly executing the duties that were required of my position. Did it make me dislike my job and put me on the hunt for a new one? Absolutely. But Jimmy Garoppolo already knows he will have a new job, and a new boss, next season.

It makes sense that these two men probably don't like each other, at least as much as they did in the past. It should be expected that Jimmy Garoppolo wouldn't have much affection for Kyle Shanahan. He is, after all, the head coach who has actively tried to replace the quarterback since losing Super Bowl LIV—first with the flirtation of Tom Brady, then the flirtations of Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson, and finally the massive trade-up and eventual drafting of Trey Lance.

It can also be expected that Kyle Shanahan doesn't exactly have a soft spot for Jimmy Garoppolo, the quarterback who has played a role in Shanahan's inability to bring home the 6th Lombardi Trophy to 4949 Denise P. DeBartolo Way in Santa Clara.

But here's the thing—both men need each other, and they know it.

Shanahan needs Garoppolo to have any hope of competing for the playoffs and that elusive Lombardi, and Garoppolo needs Shanahan while he auditions for another big-money contract and starting opportunity when he becomes a free agent in March 2023.

Jimmy also has an excellent relationship with most, if not all, of his teammates. He is incredibly well-liked in that locker room, and NFL locker rooms are a notoriously tight brotherhood. These men put their bodies on the line every day in practice and on game days for one common purpose—victory. He is not going to let down his brothers-in-arms, even if he doesn't like the General leading them.

Negative attention comes with losses, especially after games that should have been victories. Fans and the media look for places to lay blame, and narratives get created. This is no different.

A win against the Los Angeles Rams—in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football—will relegate this video to the dust-bin of viral moments that amounted to a big 'ol nothingburger.

But even if it isn't…

It's okay if Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan don't like each other.

• Brian Renick
• Written by:
  Brian Renick
  A full-time educator, lifelong Niner fan, and Co-Host of the 49erswebzone No Huddle Podcast on the Audacy Network.
  All articles by Brian Renick
  @brenick77