It turns out that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won’t get a chance to test free agency this offseason. The Niners have reportedly agreed to a mammoth five-year, $137.5 million deal with their quarterback, ensuring that he’ll remain in San Francisco for the foreseeable future and that their midseason trade of a second round pick to the New England Patriots wasn’t just for a half season of starts.
The 49ers and QB Jimmy Garoppolo have agreed to a five-year, $137.5 million contract, source says. The biggest deal in NFL history on a average-per-year basis.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 8, 2018
Once Garoppolo came into the fold, San Francisco flourished. In his six starts, the 49ers went 5-1, winning their last five games against the regular season (including against playoff teams Tennessee, Jacksonville, and the LA Rams). The 26-year old Garoppolo threw for seven touchdowns, five interceptions, and 1,560 yards at a 67.4% completion rate, which would have ranked fourth in the NFL over the course of the 2017 season.
Is this a hefty investment? Of course it is! While the actual breakdown of the contract still isn’t known, his $27.5 million average yearly value is the highest in NFL history, and the $137.5 million total value is also the largest in the history of the league. He would have made far less in 2018 if he was slapped with the franchise tag (Kirk Cousins made just under $24 million under the tag in 2017), and the Niners would have had to do the same contract dance with him next offseason.
The biggest winner from this contract, aside from Garoppolo, of course, is probably Cousins, whose sights are probably even higher now after Garoppolo got this deal after six starts in 2017. Take the Niners off the board for Cousins (though they probably weren’t too high on the board anyway), and take Garoppolo off the board for all of the QB-needy teams in the league. The NFL season ended mere days ago, and the offseason QB carousel is already in high gear with San Francisco committing to Garoppolo long-term and the Redskins hitching their wagon to Alex Smith.
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