The San Francisco 49ers still have Jimmy Garoppolo as the starting quarterback — for now. San Francisco traded up nine spots in the draft to No. 3 overall, positioning the 49ers to snatch the franchise quarterback they’ve been coveting for years. The 49ers are set to draft their quarterback of the future, but what about Garoppolo?
Could San Francisco seriously kick a quarterback that has won 22 of his 31 starts for the team in his career to the curb? If superstar tight end George Kittle ran the franchise, Garoppolo would still be the quarterback.
“I trust Kyle (head coach Kyle Shanahan) and John (general manager John Lynch) … they’re trying to do whatever they can to make the team better,” Kittle said to Kyle Brandt on the 10 Questions With Kyle Brandt podcast this week. “I get it, it’s a competitive sport, we’re competing for jobs every single day.
“I want Jimmy G to be my QB. … Whatever they do, I can’t wait to see what the team looks like in a couple weeks.”
Garoppolo has completed 67.5% of his passes in his 31 starts for the 49ers, throwing for 7,352 yards with 46 touchdowns to 26 interceptions (98.1 passer rating). Of quarterbacks that have thrown 750-plus pass attempts over the past four years, Garoppolo is fourth in completion percentage and ninth in passer rating. He’s second in yards per attempt (8.33) behind only Patrick Mahomes.
Why do the 49ers need an upgrade at quarterback when they have a player who has sincerely contributed to the team going 22-9 in his 31 starts? Kittle isn’t convinced this is the end for Garoppolo.
“We’re the San Francisco 49ers, we’re a very popular and famous franchise. … People expect us to win football games,” Kittle said. “Being the QB of a top-notch franchise, the limelight is on you. It’s on him and Coach Shanahan. … Especially for Jimmy, everyone had high expectations for him when he was leaving the Patriots, and he has a lot of good ball ahead of him.”
