Getty Jaquiski Tartt #3 of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 23-17 in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.
After a brutal ending to a special run, tensions were understandably high after the San Francisco 49ers‘ 20-17 loss in the NFC Championship.
It’s now been a week though and most of the Niners “faithful” have seemingly moved on from lashing out at players online. However, that doesn’t mean everyone is already looking to the 2022 season, including a Niners fan that decided to take aim at safety Jaquiski Tartt.
Tartt was at the center of one of the game’s biggest plays, dropping an easy interception from Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matt Stafford. There’s no way to know if it would’ve directly translated to a 49ers win(especially considering how the offense struggled,) but it certainly would have helped San Francisco’s chances.
Jaquiski Tartt drops a dime from Matthew Stafford
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So, when Tartt was delivered a random, vulgar message online a week onward, all he could do was react.
The user then replied to the 49ers safety by doubling down on his initial Tweet with a sarcastic reply, saying “great play to seal the win last week.” Again, Tartt kept it loose.
After the interaction, the San Francisco defensive back continued to take the high road while making it clear the hate and criticism doesn’t bother him.
“People gotta learn their comments say more about them..Than it actually has to do with me…” Tartt wrote.
49ers Back Up Tartt After Drop
While fans may not have held back their frustration and criticism after Tartt’s drop, there was no way that head coach Kyle Shanahan or the 49ers were going to call out the safety.
Shanahan pointed out in the January 30 post-game press conference that he thought the 49ers owed a lot to Tartt’s play during the 13-10 Divisional Round win over the Green Bay Packers.
“Tartt has done a lot of good things,” Shanahan said. “I thought he was one of the best players on the field the last week versus Green Bay. He’s been in our team since I’ve been here, and I know he’s disappointed in that drop, but there’s a lot of other plays in the game and I’m very happy Tartt was on our team this year.
Meanwhile, star tight end George Kittle echoed Shanahan’s sentiments that games can’t be boiled down to one play or another.
“Is (the loss) his fault? Goodness gracious, no,” Kittle said. “He had a tackle in Green Bay for why we were even in this situation. We all make mistakes. That was probably highlighted. I don’t blame him at all.”
Tartt Set to Be Free Agent
The drop may have been a sensational moment, but it also being in the season-ending game creates a new atmosphere surrounding the safety and his pending free agency.
Tartt played on a one-year, $1.127 million deal in 2021 per Spotrac. While the Niners could very easily bring him back for another season or for an extended deal, it’s not a certainty by any means.
From the player’s perspective, the former Samford Bulldog could decide that the drop and how the season ended is a sign to move on and to play elsewhere. The same can go for the 49ers, who may not be wanting to pay any more than the minimum considering their already tight budget constraints.