Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers went through a very weird offseason in which the team initially tried to trade the former Super Bowl starter but ultimately kept him with the team on a restructured contract as the backup to second-year quarterback Trey Lance.
It felt like an odd move at the time and drew many questions and criticism, but it took less than two games for the decision to pay off for the Niners after Lance suffered what looks to be a serious leg injury in the first half of the team’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. As a result, San Francisco turned to Garoppolo, and he delivered for the team immediately.
Even though he sat out most of the preseason as the two sorted out their contract situation, Garoppolo showed no rust on Sunday afternoon. In the first half, Garoppolo went 8-for-11 through the air for 106 yards and a touchdown to give the Niners a 20-0 lead over the Seahawks heading into halftime.
After trying to trade him during the offseason, it looks like Garoppolo may end up saving the 49ers’ season. It’s certainly a wild turn of events, and the NFL world had plenty to say about it on Sunday afternoon.
Jimmy Garoppolo in relief of Trey Lance: 8-11, 106 yards, 9.6 yards per attempt, 1 TD, 133.8 rating
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 18, 2022
How lucky are the 49ers? Jimmy Garoppolo being a nice guy saved their season.
— Bonta Hill (@BontaHill) September 18, 2022
Hope everyone appreciates how well Jimmy Garoppolo handled this weird situation for the past two years.
— Ann Killion (@annkillion) September 18, 2022
Jimmy Garoppolo posted a 90th percentile average depth of target in the first half. Came out firing the ball downfield.
More of Week 1 from Geno Smith: Short passes to avoid the pass rush pic.twitter.com/yiCeqOlCBl
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 18, 2022
And yes, this one of the reasons why the 49ers didn't just cut Jimmy Garoppolo to appease social media in March. You need fair return to give up any valuable asset — basic business.
When fair return didn't present itself, they ended up tremendously fortunate to keep Garoppolo
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 18, 2022
For all the @JimmyG_10 naysayers – looks like he is off to a good start
Although I feel for @treylance09 we should be happy to have such a great quarterback with experience who can step in. https://t.co/x6nzSNvQX0
— Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA (@KrutikaKuppalli) September 18, 2022
Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing right now which impressive considering he didn't practice at all during #49ers training camp
— Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) September 18, 2022
An odd situation appears to have worked out for both Garoppolo and the Niners in the long run. We’ll see how the rest of this season plays out.