Why Jimmy Garoppolo is the 49ers' Player with the Most to Prove in 2020

When you make a list of 49ers with the most to prove in 2020, you might think of Dante Pettis, Brandon Aiyuk or Javon Kinlaw. And those all are good, worthy choices. But not the right one.

The 49ers player with the most to prove next season is Jimmy Garoppolo. And he is No. 1 by a wide margin. No close second.

Garoppolo played quite well last season. Especially for a quarterback in his first full season as a starter. Not to mention, one who was coming off a torn ACL. Garoppolo had impediments. And despite those, he still played in the Super Bowl. Hard to expect more of a relative beginner.

That’s all true. But Garopolo isn’t 24. He’ll be 29 in November. And the 49ers pay him $27 million per season. And as well as he played last season, he also played like a 24-year-old at times.

Garoppolo committed 18 turnovers in 16 games despite mostly handing off and throwing short passes. He became an appendage in the offense for most of the playoffs after throwing an interception against the Vikings. And he produced one of the worst fourth quarters by a quarterback in Super Bowl history.

Garoppolo certainly helped the 49ers reach the Super Bowl -- he deserves tremendous credit. But he also helped them lose it. And the 49ers did not extend his contract this offseason. They maintained the option to trade or release him at any time for minimal salary-cap penalties.

Now Garoppolo enters Year 2 as a full-time starter in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Meaning people will have higher expectations of him. During Matt Ryan’s second season under Shanahan when Shanahan was the Falcons offensive coordinator, Ryan was the NFL MVP. The 49ers probably hope Garoppolo will be like Ryan in 2020, or win the Super Bowl. One or the other.

Garoppolo absolutely could win the Super Bowl and an MVP next season. He has lost only five starts in his career, and his passer rating was a stellar 102 last season.

But if Garoppolo doesn’t take a leap forward, if he stays the same and the 49ers lose in the playoffs again despite having an elite defense and elite running game, they might feel they don’t need to pay $27 million per season for a quarterback who hands off, throws short passes and commits more than one turnover per game.

Garoppolo needs to prove he’s worth all the money the 49ers pay him.

Big year for Jimmy.