The San Francisco 49ers signed Jeff Wilson Jr. as an undrafted free agent in 2018, so all he's known is playing with Jimmy Garoppolo. The running back has no shortage of confidence in his quarterback of the past four-plus years and feels Garoppolo is always short-changed when it comes to handing out praise.
"Jimmy is Jimmy," Wilson told 95.7 The Game's Damon Bruce and John Dickinson on Wednesday. "He's one of the greatest quarterbacks in this game right now. He doesn't get enough respect. He doesn't get enough credit."
Wilson added, "He's very underrated. I wish I could just change it all for him because he's really a great dude and a great quarterback."
Trey Lance's season-ending ankle injury set the stage for Garoppolo's return to the starting lineup. That's fine with Wilson, who knows the 49ers can be contenders with Garoppolo at the helm of the offense.
"Obviously, shout out to Trey," Wilson continued. "We miss him. He's our guy. Still is our guy. It was heartbreaking for that to happen for him, but having Jimmy ... he's already played for us. Everybody already caught balls from him. ... It's like riding a bike. You just jump on and go. We've been doing it, so it's like nothing new.
Since joining the NFL, Wilson has been to two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl. Wilson was actually inactive for those NFC title games but was active for Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo has been his quarterback through those playoff runs.
With Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve due to an MCL sprain, Wilson has played 60 percent of the offensive snaps, carrying the football 74 times for 375 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Like his teammates, the 26-year-old is hungry for a championship.
"We definitely feel, whether it's a fact or not, we're supposed to have two rings right now," Wilson said. "That's how we look at things. We know what type of team we have. We know what kind of players we've got. Yeah, we had some changes, but overall, it's pretty much still the same. ... All of those guys are hungry, and it's just time for us. We know that, and everybody knows that, so that's what we work for."
Wilson's praise wasn't reserved just for his quarterback. The running back has loved his time with head coach Kyle Shanahan.
"Kyle, he's a guru, man," Wilson shared. "I feel like he gets people in one-on-one in the passing game, and he does the same thing for the run game. That blows my mind. How can you put your running back in one-on-one or set him up one-on-one almost all the time? For a running back, who doesn't want to be in that? Who doesn't want to only have to worry about one man?
"It's a blessing to be here, a blessing to be coached by him, and a blessing to play for him. ... I wish I could be inside his brain and figure out how he does it, but he sets it up perfect almost every week.
"Obviously, you probably had a play or two that you wish you could have changed, but for the most part of it, everything has always been right on the money. He's just a genius, man, and he's the best at his job."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Wilson below.
