The San Francisco 49ers have officially given up on the player they hoped would replace Jimmy Garoppolo, and Garoppolo’s reaction to the situation was quite telling.
During a recent interview with SI Now’s Robin Lundberg, Garoppolo was asked for his thoughts on the Niners trading former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys. Jimmy G. called it a “weird situation.” He then paused for a moment and said there have been “a lot of weird situations over there in San Francisco.”
That was noteworthy enough, but Lundberg then asked Garoppolo how he feels the 49ers have handled their quarterback situation in recent years. It then became evident that the veteran is not thrilled with his former team.
“How do you think they’ve handled them?” Garoppolo replied with a smile.
Lundberg then said he believes the handling has been “messy,” to which Garoppolo said that is “a nice way to put it.”
Jimmy Garoppolo joined @robinlundberg to share his thoughts on the 49ers trading Trey Lance to the Cowboys pic.twitter.com/FSpMbTYw3X
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 29, 2023
Garoppolo has never publicly criticized the 49ers, but it would only be natural for him to feel some bitterness about what went on during his time in San Francisco. Jimmy G. led San Francisco to a 13-3 record and the NFC Championship Game in 2019. His 2020 season was then cut short by injury, and the Niners traded up to draft Lance the following offseason. Garoppolo then beat out Lance for the starting job in 2021 and once again helped the team reach the NFC Championship Game.
Despite his great record in both the regular season and playoffs, the 49ers tried to trade Garoppolo prior to last season. Their plan was to turn the team over to Lance. Garoppolo once again got his starting job back when Lance suffered a broken ankle in Week 2. Garoppolo then suffered an injury of his own in Week 13, which forced Brock Purdy into action.
Garoppolo has since signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and insists he is moving forward. If nothing else, his comments prove that he did, in fact, experience normal human emotions during his rollercoaster ride in San Francisco.
