Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers may not move apart just yet.
A few months after the team and Garoppolo mutually decided to move on, only to get back together in a wild chain of events that led to him being their QB again, both sides are open about him returning for the 2023 season will be back. sources say.
It’s early and there’s still plenty of season left, but that scenario isn’t off the table.
Garoppolo leads the 7-4 Niners into their showdown against the Dolphins today after leading his team to four straight wins. Trey Lance, who started the season as a starter, is on injured reserve and is out for the season following ankle surgery in September.
The 49ers moved on from Garoppolo ahead of the 2022 season, embracing Lance as a starter and giving Jimmy G permission to seek a trade. Both sides were motivated to make it happen. But his shoulder surgery in the spring, which saw him medically healed in August, closed every trading market.
The team and Garoppolo eventually agreed to a renegotiated, one-year contract worth $6.5 million that is fully guaranteed with a chance to earn a total of $16 million through incentives. It included a clause preventing the team from marking him as a franchise this offseason.
The 49ers and Garoppolo have maintained a good relationship throughout, and the team is still grateful for his willingness to practice on the rehab field during training camp at a time when he could have just said he was doesn’t want to, and could force his release. That would have ended it.
But Garoppolo didn’t, and all parties benefited.
While Lance is rehabilitating and still learning to use his immense talents after being out for most of the season, there is a scenario that would result in Jimmy G returning to San Francisco for 2023. While the two sides have yet to discuss options for next year, a short-term deal could make sense for everyone.
Either way, Garoppolo should be one of the most desirable free-agent QBs to make money again this offseason.
With friendly faces around town including former SF assistant coach Mike McDaniel, Garoppolo made some news this week when he said the Dolphins were one of the teams that had been a potential landing spot for him this past offseason. But nothing was there and no offer was made.
In the end, Garoppolo, staying in San Francisco to lead the offense and keep winning, helped save the 49ers’ season. And thanks in part to the success of 2022, there could be at least one more season to come.