49ers Upgrading From Jimmy Garoppolo Goes Beyond Health Concerns
Jimmy Garoppolo will be leaving the 49ers sooner rather than later.
As soon as the 49ers select their rookie quarterback with the third pick, the time will start ticking on his tenure.
Ever since the season ended for the 49ers, the constant topic of discussion was what the 49ers will do at quarterback. Well, the 49ers did some foreshadowing when so many rumors about them being interested in other quarterbacks surfaced.
And then they finally pulled the trigger to move up to No. 3 by making it clear that they are moving on from Garoppolo. Lack of availability is a large part as to why the 49ers ended up making this move. The guy just can't find the any good luck when it comes to his health. For the 49ers, it was a no-brainer to trade up and find that franchise quarterback. That is the one position that cannot have any injury concerns.
But the 49ers upgrading from Garoppolo goes beyond health concerns.
When it was confirmed on Wednesday by Ian Rapoport that the 49ers inquired about Sam Darnold, it revealed a lot about what they think of Garoppolo. It is more than just his health concerns, the fact that the 49ers were looking to acquire Darnold means that Garoppolo isn't that good of a quarterback in their eyes.
If the 49ers had actually brought Darnold on, it would have been as a replacement -- not as a backup. And it is very likely that they would have picked up his fifth-year option to get a two-year swing with him to see if they could truly tap into any potential.
The thing with Darnold, he isn't necessarily the healthiest quarterback out there. Now he isn't near the level of Garoppolo in terms of games missed, but you can expect Darnold to miss a few games every season. He hasn't completed a full one since he stepped into the league.
It is safe to say that the 49ers upgrading from Garoppolo is more than just his lack of availability. Garoppolo, right now, is a better quarterback than Darnold, but it is surely the untapped potential that intrigued the 49ers to him. It's simple, Kyle Shanahan is tired of holding Garoppolo's hand.
Luckily, he will not have to do so as much down the line with the rookie quarterback.
