As the 2020 regular NFL season comes to an end, more speculation on whether or not the 49ers are going to keep Jimmy Garoppolo heats up.
While it would be hard for the Niners to move on from the 28-year-old signal-caller, it’s not impossible. NFL insider Adam Schefter explains why San Francisco would stick with Jimmy G., but also how they would not.
“Well, it’s a quarterback, and it’s a quarterback on a good team,” Schefter explained on the Murph & Mac show, “so you’re always curious as to how that’s going to work out. I think they recognize that Jimmy does have some value, and I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion by any stretch of the imagination that they would be moving on.”
However, there are going to be plenty of options at quarterback to come in the offseason.
It Will Take A “Compelling Option” For Niners To Move On
Between the draft, free agency, and trade options, the 49ers might find themselves in a position to want to reconsider.
In fact, last season they were offered a chance at taking future Hall of Fame QB Tom Brady, but they decided against it, most likely because Jimmy G. has a lot more left in him than Brady who is en route to retirement.
At the conclusion of the 2020 season, the Falcons, who are in a position to rebuild, might be looking for a trade with their MVP quarterback Matt Ryan or Matthew Stafford could be eyeing a way out of Detroit.
Or the Niners look to the draft to grab a rookie to sit behind Jimmy G.. Whether they decide that or not, there are going to be a lot of tempting options out there for them to at least consider.
“I think that they’ll look at Jimmy,” Schefter continued. “Jimmy is a viable, certifiable, starting quarterback in this league. They’re 22-8 with him as a starter. They’re 5-13 without him. So, they’ve been pretty good with him, and if they were going to move on, I think it would take some sort of compelling option, whatever that would be, and those are not easy to come by. So, I think there’s definitely a chance that Jimmy could be back as the quarterback of this team.”
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Shanahan Doesn’t Get the Final Say
A lot more goes into the decision on Jimmy G. than just Shanahan’s thoughts; Niner’s general manager John Lynch gets the last word.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler feels it would only make sense to go younger and it wouldn’t be such a bad choice when looking at this year’s 2021 draft class stacked with top QBs featuring Florida’s Kyle Trask or BYU’s Zach Wilson.
“Well, this is projecting a bit because the 49ers do like Jimmy G,” Fowler explained on SportsCenter. “There is a good chance he could be back next year, certainly. But if they feel that the injuries are just too much to handle and they need to move on, I’ve talked to many coaches and coordinators around the league who believe Kyle Shanahan, one of the brilliant offensive minds in the game, should go all out on a young, athletic QB instead of going the veteran route, trading for a Kirk Cousins or a Matt Ryan. Go exciting and amplify that running game with a guy who can get out wide and get weird in the NFC West and go win it.”
It will be interesting to see which way the Niners go, but until then, we can continue to speculate and hope it’s the best option in the end.
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NFL Insider Can Envision 49ers Without Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021