Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has only been healthy for one full season since the 49ers acquired him in 2017. And that year, San Francisco won the NFC.
But in 2020, Garoppolo suffered a couple of high ankle sprains and played only six games. The 49ers were 3-3 with Garoppolo and 3-7 without him.
There’s been some speculation that San Francisco could try to move on from Garoppolo, especially because his contract isn’t cost prohibitive. But head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week he expects Garoppolo to be the team’s starter in 2021.
For his part, Garoppolo isn’t trying to go anywhere.
“I honestly haven’t put too much thought into it,” Garoppolo said, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “All those things get said, but at the end of the day, I’m a 49er. I’m here to play quarterback. I’m here to be the quarterback of this team. And every day I go out there and try to prove that to my teammates and my coaches. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.”
Garoppolo also seemed to appreciate the comments from Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch that have essentially endorsed him as the club’s QB.
“I think they’ve talked to the media and said what they said. And I love those guys for it,” Garoppolo said. “This is where I want to be, and I love it here.”
Garoppolo is 22-8 as a starter for San Francisco since 2017. He’s completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 7.352 yards with 46 touchdowns and 26 interceptions with the 49ers.