Jimmy the Arsonist Continues to Burn the 49ers
Well played, Jimmy. Tip of the cap.
Love or hate the guy, Jimmy Garoppolo pulled a Machiavellian move on the 49ers this offseason.
It all started two years ago in the division round of the playoffs against the Vikings when, after throwing an interception to Michael Kendricks, Kyle Shanahan had seen enough. He was not going to let Garoppolo ruin the season. So, for the next two and a half games, Garoppolo essentially handed off the ball. His coach lost complete confidence in him in front of the world.
And yet, the 49ers went to the Super Bowl, and Garopplo had a chance to hit Emmanuel Sanders on a post route for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and grossly over threw him. Afterward, Garoppolo became the scapegoat of the Super Bowl. He returned next season and promptly got hurt for the majority of it, forcing the 49ers to go with two backup quarterbacks.
At this point, the 49ers' braintrust was not only frustrated with Garoppolo's performance on the field, but also his lack of availability, so they traded much needed assets for a young quarterback. Understandably, most people expected the rookie to start last year. Getting Garoppolo's money off the books would have helped this offseason, plus it would have given Trey Lance a year of experience that he desperately needed for this upcoming season.
But the 49ers kept Garoppolo for another year, thinking they had a gentleman's agreement with him -- if he played well, they'd trade him somewhere he wanted to go. They had no idea Garoppolo would wait until the last minute to have surgery without informing his employer. Now they can't trade him. And they say they won't release him. And he's the highest paid player on the team, so it would be quite awkward to bench him.
Seems like Garoppolo is the one in control.
Well play, Jimmy. Well played.
