Colin Cowherd Says Jimmy Garoppolo is the NFL's Most Underrated Player

Colin Cowherd has said some silly things about the 49ers this offseason, but this is by far the silliest.

"We all have these moments when you think something and nobody else thinks it," Cowherd said today on his podcast. "I think Jimmy Garoppolo has now become the most underrated player in the NFL by a mile."

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Here's Cowherd's argument.

Exhibit A

COWHERD: "He's going to make $27 million, one year, most of it not guaranteed. That's way under market."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: All $27 million will be guaranteed if he's on a roster Week 1, unless a team extends his deal, and who would want to do that? Plus, $27 million would make Garoppolo the 11th-highest-paid player and the 7th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL in terms of cap hits. So no, he's not "way under market." He's way over market.

Exhibit B

COWHERD: "There are seven to eight teams minimum after this year -- forget now -- after this year we think are going to need a quarterback."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: That's every year. That was this year, too, and no team wanted Garoppolo, because he's expensive, he isn't good and he has no upside. Which means teams would rather go with younger, cheaper, more talented quarterbacks instead.

Exhibit C

COWHERD: "Didn't we watch him outplay Aaron Rodgers in Lambeau? Yeah, we did. He was 5 for 6. He outplayed Aaron."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: No, he didn't. Cowherd is thinking of the NFC Championship game three years ago at Levi's Stadium when Garoppolo won despite throwing just eight passes. This past season when Garoppolo beat Rodgers in Lambeau, Garoppolo completed 11 of 19 passes, he threw one pick in the end zone, threw zero touchdown passes and his passer rating was a grotesque 57.1. Rodgers lost, but he completed 20 of 29 passes, he thew one touchdown pass, no picks and his passer rating was 91.9. The main reason the Packers lost is because the 49ers blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. The 49ers did not score an offensive touchdown in that game.

Exhibit D

COWHERD: "People say, 'Colin, he can't stay healthy.' Let's attack that narrative. He played 15 of 17 games this year plus three playoff games. In the Super Bowl year, he played 19 of 19 games."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: Yeah, and in 2018 he missed all but three games, and in 2020 he missed all but six. So he's durable when he's not injured, according to Cowherd.

Exhibit E

COWHERD: "He was in an offense that is geared toward running the football. They prefer to run the football. Here were Garoppolo's stats last year: 6th in the league in completion percentage, 9th in passer rating, 2nd in yards per attempt, 1st in yards per completion."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: Shanahan's offense is geared toward running the football so much because he can't trust Garoppolo. Garoppolo is an interception waiting to happen. And while his numbers were efficient during the regular season, they were extremely similar to Trey Lance's numbers in the same offense. Garoppolo's passer rating was 98.7, Lance's was 97.3. Garoppolo's yards per attempt was 8.6, Lance's was 8.5. Garoppolo's yards per completion was 12.7, Lance's was 14.7. And Lance was merely 21-years old. That's why smart people understand that Garoppolo's regular season stats are a reflection of his supporting cast, not him. And that's why the 49ers are replacing him.

Exhibit F

COWHERD: "Joe Burrow is really talented. Didn't he have multiple mistakes throughout the playoffs? He doesn't always play great, but he wins a bunch of games."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: Burrow's passer rating in the playoffs this past season was 97.3, and he threw five touchdown passes and two interceptions. Conversely, Garoppolo's playoff passer rating is 74.1, and in those six games he has thrown four touchdown passes and six interceptions. Does Cowherd even know these numbers?

Closing argument

COWHERD: "I find it fascinating. There's no market for Jimmy Garoppolo. It's a one year deal. It's not all guaranteed. He wins like 75 percent of his starts. I don't get it."

GRANT'S REBUTTAL: We noticed, Colin.