The 49ers traded up to draft Trey Lance with the third overall choice in 2021, and the expectation is the team will attempt to trade Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason. So last week could have been Garoppolo’s final game in a 49ers uniform, something the quarterback considered beforehand.
Garoppolo shared a moment with fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the locker room before the 49ers’ must-win game.
“Me and Juice had a cool moment there,” Garoppolo said, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “These guys on this team, I love this team. I love the players. I love everything about it. It’s a good group to be around, a fun group. We want to keep this thing going for as long as we can now.”
Garoppolo started every game he was healthy enough to play this season, including Week 18 when he played with a thumb injury. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice but is expected to start against the Cowboys on Sunday.
He, again, could be facing his final game with the 49ers.
Garoppolo admits the uncertainty of his future has been on his mind all season.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Garoppolo said. “It has been in mine, really, the whole season. I knew what type of season it was, knew everything that was going on behind the scenes and what-not. It was a little different.”
Garoppolo will play somewhere else next season. He knows it. The 49ers know it. Everyone knows it.
Five years after the 49ers acquired Garoppolo from the Patriots, the 49ers will trade him elsewhere.
“You got to toe that line because you don’t want to get too emotional in those moments,” Garoppolo said. “You just got to go play football when it comes down to it. But the human side definitely comes into play. You feel it for a little bit after the game.
“And I think 24 hours after that, you have to move on quickly. And we’ve done that pretty well.”