Jimmy Garoppolo has been on both sides of the quarterbacking coin. The San Francisco 49ers signal-caller was the hot new thing early in his career when he was drafted potentially to replace Tom Brady. Now he’s on the reverse side, as the man set to be replaced by a dynamic rookie, Trey Lance, eventually.
Few QBs have been in both situations. One man is Garoppolo’s opponent Sunday night: Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers went through what Garoppolo is amid when the Packers traded up to select Jordan Love. With Rodgers winning the MVP in 2020, the situation led to an offseason of turmoil in Green Bay.
Could Garoppolo follow Rodgers’ path, playing so well the Niners adjust their timeline?
During a stop by the Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday, Jimmy G was asked if he’d follow Rodgers’ lead if given a chance.
“I don’t know,” Garoppolo responded, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “To be completely honest, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. It’s one of those things that I’m still tied up with the season and everything that we’ve got going on. If I repeat what Aaron did last year, I would love to do that. That guy — I mean, MVP speaks for itself. The dude had a hell of a year, though. If I could replicate anything similar to that, I’d be thrilled with it.
“But, you know, after this year, we’ll figure that out when we get there. We’ve got a long way to go. We’re only a couple of weeks into this thing.”
Garoppolo’s financial situation is obviously different than Rodgers’ was heading into this season. Jimmy G has one more year on his contract, set to earn $24.2 million in base salary, but none of it is guaranteed. The lack of guarantees led most to believe the Niners would move on from the QB this year after drafting Lance or at least try to get him to take a pay cut. Neither happened.
Through two weeks, Garoppolo also isn’t hitting Rodgers highs on the field. The QB has thrown for 503 yards and two TDs, completing 70.9% of his passes through two games as the Niners’ offense has gotten off to an uneven start.
Sunday’s matchup versus the Packers offers Garoppolo a chance to shine under the lights against a defense that has struggled to slow opponents thus far this season.
The Niners QB might also have the chance to pick Rodgers’ brain at some point before or after the tilt.
“Yeah, there’s a good possibility,” Garoppolo said of contacting Rodgers. “I know Aaron pretty well. We’ve talked a couple of times on the field, off the field. Whatever little piece of advice he could give to me. … Obviously, it’s worked out pretty well for him. The guy’s been ballin’. He had four TDs [last] night.
“This league’s a crazy thing. We’ve all got our own story and just got to make the best of your situation.”
