The San Francisco 49ers did not have Jimmy Garoppolo healthy for much of the 2020 season. When he did play, however, there were some questions about his effectiveness and long-term fit as the team’s starting quarterback.
On Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan once again fielded questions about Garoppolo’s future with the team. He made clear that he envisions Garoppolo as the team’s starter in 2021, but cited one interesting factor behind that.
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan gave a detailed answer when asked why he expressed such certainty that Jimmy Garoppolo will be his quarterback in 2021. Here it is in full… pic.twitter.com/t36qrGRqEn
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) December 28, 2020
“There’s a reason his record is what it is and that’s why we paid for him to be our starting quarterback,” Shanahan said. “And to think that that’s ridiculous with where his contract is, this isn’t like the first year. That’s how much quarterbacks cost in this league and he’s right there. I don’t know the number but I think it’s somewhere between 13th and 19th, so that’s nothing too big. That’s how much they cost.
“Now, you look into every avenue and you see if there’s something out there that can get you a ton better. That’s the same answer for every position. But look at Jimmy, look what he’s done, look where he’s at financially.”
It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, and it’s interesting that Shanahan cites Garoppolo’s contract multiple times. It’s clear that the 49ers view Garoppolo as a guy who can do enough to win them games while simultaneously giving them cap flexibility elsewhere. That may ultimately be more important to them than having an elite quarterback who would admittedly be more expensive.
Others in the 49ers have downplayed any talk about making a change at quarterback. Nobody’s ruling it out, but it sounds like Garoppolo is the guy, if only for financial reasons.
