SANTA CLARA, Calif. – About a month ago San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan began to have a conversation about the scenario where the quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo remaining with the group might look like.
At the time, Garoppolo’s right shoulder surgery had ruined any early-season trading opportunities, and as Shanahan said Tuesday, the NFL’s gem of a chair has come to a halt for most. Other seats were filled.
During the first week of camp, Shanahan expressed to Garoppolo that if nothing else comes to fruition elsewhere, the team would love to welcome back Garoppolo with a reduced contract as a backup for first year starters. . Trey Lance.
Even then, Shanahan, Lynch and the Niners never thought what would happen on Monday – when the Niners and Garoppolo agreed to a one-year rework deal worth about $7 million and up to $16 million. la with incentives – is a real possibility.
Shanahan said: “The chance for me is slim for me. “I remember the first week of training camp, I said to Jimmy like, ‘Hey, if you don’t like any of these opportunities, if you don’t go where you want to go, you won’t be able to get the contract you want,'” he said. friend. We’d love to have you here as a back-up to that deal. ‘ I want you to know that we feel the same way but I also think it’s impossible for you not to achieve something because this goes on throughout training camp. “
The beliefs of both the Niners and Garoppolo were so strong that he would play elsewhere so Garoppolo continued his recovery throwing program while the Niners practiced on neighboring courts.
And while Garoppolo is welcome to attend team meetings and practice sessions, he stays away believing he will be playing elsewhere, be it due to an injury that leads to a trade or a team becoming unavailable satisfied with his midfield options.
But as the weeks went by and Garoppolo remained in San Francisco, that never happened. The Cleveland Browns seems like a reasonable landing point with a pause Deshaun Watson but they never made an offer, perhaps joining a list of other teams waiting for the Niners to release Garoppolo before cutting the initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
According to Shanahan, that’s exactly what the Niners will do if Garoppolo doesn’t agree to reduce the salary cap by nearly $18 million for 2022.
“To me, it just seemed like people were just waiting for us to cut him off so they could see how much they could get him for,” Shanahan said. “But when last Saturday’s pre-season game went and no one was injured, Jimmy thought this was the best situation he’d like. And that’s why we’re so excited because it’s clear. Obviously the situation is better for the Niners.
“We’ve always made it clear to Jimmy that the salary cap is wise and the role falls back, supporting Trey and if that works for him, it’s a no-brainer for us. didn’t think there was a chance that would happen. And it ended up being that way. And so when all was said and done, although it was quite a shock to us, we thought it was. Mutually beneficial. “
From the Niners’ perspective, retaining Garoppolo offers many advantages. First and foremost, it improved their backup situation after Lance, who has just started two NFL regular season games. Since Shanahan’s arrival in 2017, the Niners are 35-16 when Garoppolo starts (including post-production) and 8-28 with any other signal callers under center.
Niners plan to keep rookies Brock Purdy is the number 3 midfielder, capable of making veterans Nate Sudfeld like a weird man.
It also expands the 49ers window to be able to trade Garoppolo if another team with a need for a quarterback begins to appear before the November 1 trading deadline. Garoppolo’s contract does not include a no-buy clause. sell, which means that the situation would have to be compelling enough for him to accept any deal.
For Garoppolo, that means the opportunity to stay in a familiar place in a system he’s already succeeded in while also restoring his value to other teams prior to joining the free agency for the season. prize. It essentially eliminates the possibility of Garoppolo going to an unspecified situation in which a multitude of variables could make it difficult for him to be in a favorable position in 2023.
It also gives Garoppolo a longer runway to get to a healthy right shoulder knowing that missing training sessions and meetings won’t bore him as he’s already familiar with Shanahan’s system and those of the other. his potential pass catcher.
“While the doctors cleared him with no restrictions, there’s the added caveat that it would be a smart thing to do, to really build him up,” Lynch said. “And this allows him to do that and not be rushed on the pitch. Sometimes things just happen and so the environment is more controlled…
Jimmy played a lot of football. We believe he is ready. “
Indeed, the Niners’ plan is to get Garoppolo back into training immediately with Shanahan admitting that Garoppolo will be a backup for Lance in the season opener last September. Chicago Bears where Purdy is number 3.
Shanahan said on Tuesday that he had spoken to Lance about Garoppolo’s return before the move was made and that Lance was “great” about it and had “no problem with it at all.” The Niners’ hope is that Lance and Garoppolo can be good for each other this season even with roles reversed this year.
The question, of course, is how all of that will manifest if and when Lance is in trouble and Garoppolo is waiting on the flanks. Shanahan reiterated on Tuesday that this is Lance’s team and he will have the opportunity to correct his mistakes.
“We feel very strongly about giving the keys to Trey,” said Shanahan. “We’re really excited about what we think it’s possible to do for our entire team. And we’re excited with everything he’s done and all of these opportunities that have taken place. And I can’t wait for him to start on our team week one, and having Jimmy there as a back-up makes us feel really good because we’ve got it. a midfielder who started as a backup. The rest of the league had his chance and I’m lucky he’s still here in that case.”
