Getty Jimmy Garoppolo on January 30, 2022
Jimmy Garoppolo has been lauded for his professionalism throughout this offseason of watching Trey Lance take over the quarterback reins for the San Francisco 49ers — awaiting where his own fate will be whether it’s by trade or release.
But now, a new report from Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle has gotten people to press the pause button on Garoppolo’s professional state.
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Garoppolo ‘Vanished’ After Huge Deal
Silver’s Thursday, August 11 story features this telling detail in a conversation he had with a past 49ers assistant coach from the season when Garoppolo signed his blockbuster $137.5 million deal.
“Once he left that press conference nobody heard from him for weeks and weeks,” the unnamed assistant told Silver. “He didn’t return calls, he didn’t return texts — he basically just vanished. And we were looking at each other going, ‘What just happened.'”
The same coach added to Silver that the ghosting would become “a regular thing” during ensuing offseasons.
Reactions for Garoppolo spread across social media and the internet like a wildfire.
‘Not Hard to See Why he Never Improved as a QB’
From there, the NFL world via Twitter fired off a series of reactions to the scintillating report.
“Jimmy Garoppolo, the guy everyone wanted to give flowers to for his professionalism, would routinely ghost teammates and coaches in the off-season. Including immediately after his big contract in 2018,” Rob Guerra of SB Nation’s Niners Nation posted on the morning of Monday, August 15, before dubbing it the “The Jimmy G. Vanishing Act.”
Guerra had a subsequent tweet, answering why he felt Garoppolo never improved as a quarterback.
“Imagine that. Jimmy Garoppolo was put in a perfect situation for a quarterback: Great offensive head coach, great defense, great players around him, and he couldn’t be bothered to keep in touch with him team in the offseason. Not hard to see why he never improved as a QB,” Guerra posted.
Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports chimed in with his take on Monday.
“It goes without being said that a different kind of work ethic is required to be successful in the NFL — especially when it comes to the quarterback position. Front offices want their signal-callers to be examples in everything they do, including how to handle the offseason. This new report seems to indicate that Jimmy G really enjoyed his time off,” Dajani wrote in his column.
Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk said this report will “make it even harder” for the 49ers in finding a trade suitor.
Florio said “coaches want franchise quarterbacks to be all about the franchise, all the time. It will definitely give someone pause, especially when it comes to making a significant investment of cash and/or trade compensation for Garoppolo.”
The insider then added how it “all points to an inevitable release of Garoppolo, baring the kind of unexpected development that has yet to transpire. A starting quarterback could still be lost of the season between now and August 30, when rosters reduce to 53,” and then mentioned the rival Seattle Seahawks as a possible suitor.
Has One Suitor Cooled?
It appears that talks of a Garoppolo and New York Jets trade is starting to cool down.
Garoppolo’s name was mentioned as a possible emergency trade for the Jets, following the devastating injury to first round quarterback Zach Wilson. The Jets feared he had torn his ACL and would miss the season. But ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed on Saturday, August 13 that it was a bone bruise and meniscus tear — which could sideline him for only a month.
This could point to the Jets placing their full trust in the time being for former Super Bowl 47 Most Valuable Player Joe Flacco and Mike White and maybe add a QB via waivers.
Garoppolo’s name, though, remains linked to the Cleveland Browns with Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reporting Thursday that the team would consider Garoppolo if Deshaun Watson is suspended for more than his original six games.