Getty Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after being defeated by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium on January 30, 2022.
Everyone feels like they know how to fix a quarterback. That even goes for Speaker of the House and San Francisco 49ers fan Nancy Pelosi.
Like many other San Francisco fans, Pelosi was disappointed with the unfortunate end to the 49ers’ season in the NFC Championship. Despite beating the Los Angeles Rams six-straight times, the Niners fell short 20-17 at SoFi Stadium on January 30.
This week, Pelosi got a stray question about the 49ers and if she watched the game. The response is probably relatable for any Niner fan regardless of political affiliation.
“Don’t break my heart,” Pelosi said, per The Recount. “He should have taken the sack, I coach on the side, you understand.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked about the San Francisco 49ers losing to the LA Rams in the NFL playoffs: “Don’t break my heart.”
As anyone who watched the game knows, Pelosi is referring to the final offensive drive of the 49ers. Late in the fourth quarter and down 20-17, the Niners needed a series of big offensive plays to force overtime or win. Instead, they earned -3 yards on the first two plays and then Garoppolo ended it by throwing an interception on the next play.
Not the way that the 49ers or Garoppolo wanted to go out. Now that San Francisco looks to be moving forward with the plan to trade Jimmy G, maybe Pelosi has advice on where to trade him.
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Garoppolo Says His Goodbye
On Tuesday after the 49ers’ final game of the season, head coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch and Garoppolo spoke to local media. Shanahan and Lynch said the door was open to keeping the 29-year-old quarterback, but Garoppolo’s conference gave more away.
After saying that he had talked with Lynch about potential destinations, he concluded his presser with a goodbye message to the 49ers fanbase.
“To the faithful,” Garoppolo said on February 1. “Thank you very much for everything. It’s been crazy man. All the comebacks at Levi’s, the comebacks on the road, ups and downs, it’s been a hell of a ride. I love you guys. See ya.”
All love to the Faithful ❤️💛 @JimmyG_10
Whether 49ers fans are happy to see him go or sad to see him leave, it’s clear in his address that being a 49er was something Garoppolo cared immensely about. He may not have ended up winning a Super Bowl in San Francisco, but two deep playoff runs will make for lasting memories.
49ers Star Pens Message to Garoppolo
After Garoppolo’s press conference, plenty of fans returned the love and message, but not many players did. That’s due to the fact that nothing is set in stone yet, and fans ought to expect a flood of posts from Jimmy G’s teammates once the trade is official.
However, star defensive lineman Arik Armstead did write a message on social media after his press conference, thanking the quarterback.
“Thank you @JimmyG_10,” Armstead said. “Our team was in some dark days before you came. Fortunate to see the day to day process and what you go through. Major respect for you”
Between the 49ers’ playoff runs under former coach John Harbaugh in the early 2010s and the Shanahan era, the Niners had two coaches in two years in Chip Kelly and Jim Tomsula, and went just 7-25. Garoppolo’s first two years dealt with injury, but his encouraging play helped build up the 49ers to prepare for 2019’s trip to Super Bowl LIV.