Jimmy Garoppolo Explains Why He Returned to the 49ers
SANTA CLARA -- Jimmy Garoppolo spoke to the Bay Area media Thursday for the first time since taking a pay cut to become the 49ers backup quarterback. Here's what he said.
Q: Does it feel weird right now?
GAROPPOLO: Just getting back in the swing of things. It will take a couple days to get back into it. It's nice to see you guys again. It has been a while.
Q: When we spoke to you last in February, there was some thought that you would need surgery on your thumb and your shoulder would heal on its own. Can you take us through the timeline of how things proceeded from that point forward?
GAROPPOLO: It turned out the other way -- the thumb wasn't as serious as the shoulder was. The thumb kind of tacked down. We did rehab, but it really took care of itself. Didn't need surgery, so that was nice. But the shoulder, we tried to do -- I really don't like to get surgery if I don't have to, so I was really thinking I could rehab this thing, I played three or four games on it, I think I can get through this. After about three or four weeks of that, it just wasn't happening, wasn't working, so we said we've got to get the surgery. That's why we made that choice. I'm happy with the way it worked out. I don't think it was the exact way I wanted it to work out, but everything happens for a reason.
Q: In making that choice, were you aware that this could really scuttle any trade scenario?
GAROPPOLO: I mean, yeah. You know in the back of your head that that could happen, but you have to take care of your body. If your body is not going to be able to go out there and perform, what are you worth? I had to get that taken care of. That was Priority 1, and the rest took care of itself.
Q: What has this period of limbo been like for you?
GAROPPOLO: It was weird. It was different than any situation I've ever been in, and I've been in some weird ones, so that's saying something. I think things worked out for the best. There were a lot of ups and downs and rocky roads here and there, but I'm happy to be with the Niners, I think the Niners are happy to have me back and I think things are working out pretty well.
Q: You reported to training camp on time. You were out there during practices throwing and running around. At what point did it cross your mind and become a conscious thing that you could end up back here?
GAROPPOLO: Really it wasn't on my mind to be completely honest. I was training out here, I had to be here, so I was here for that reason. I was just trying to get my body right, getting the shoulder right. Felt very confident out there. I knew I was ready to roll, I just needed to figure out where it was. Things kind of fell into place these last couple days.
Q: Why didn't you at any point request your release?
GAROPPOLO: That just wasn't the way I wanted to go. There was a thought of that at one point -- trust me, there was -- but that came and went. Things just kind of kept falling into place. I don't want to ruffle feathers too much. I want to just go with the flow. That's kind of the way training camp was going and I was happy with it. Things worked out and I'm happy now.
Q: What made you want to come back here?
GAROPPOLO: A lot of things, actually. The opportunity to be with a team I'm familiar with, an offense I'm familiar with, coaches, players, all that stuff played a big role in it. Seeing the other opportunities that are out there -- you weigh the pros and cons of everything. There was a lot of back and forth going on with other teams and what I wanted my future to look like. This is what I wanted. I'm happy the way it worked out. The familiarity was a big part of it.
Q: How much are you thinking about what's best for you when you're a free agent next offseason?
GAROPPOLO: You always have to think about that. As much as you're in it for the wins, you have to look into the future a little bit, contract situations and all that. I think everyone does that to a certain degree. You have to be smart in that sense. At the end of the day, I'm a 49er right now and I'm happy about that.
Q: Did a team ever come to you and say they wanted to trade for you under a contract reduction? Did it come to that point?
GAROPPOLO: Not to that degree. Little different verbiage you could say, but there was a lot discussions with other teams.
Q: Did you check with Trey Lance to make sure he was OK with this?
GAROPPOLO: Talking to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, they were pretty clear about it. Didn't talk directly to Trey about it, but Kyle and John said that they had talked to him. Me and Trey honestly, and I know a lot of stuff gets made in the media, but we have a good relationship. We went through it last year. It was very similar to this situation. It's not like we haven't done it before.
Q: Is this a little bit of a blow to your ego?
GAROPPOLO: If that's going to take a blow to your ego, you've got to check your ego a little bit. But no, you have to know who you are in this league -- who you are as a player and as a person. That's going to carry you a long way. That's why I'm not too concerned about that.
ME: Is your shoulder 100 percent game ready and recovered or are you still ramping that up?
GAROPPOLO: Just with practice, every day will help a bit more and more, just getting more and more used to it. But feel good with it, feel very confident. I'm happy with where it's at.
