Everybody outside the organization is talking about it, creating some of the biggest buzz going around the NFL these days as the football world stands by and watches in bemused horror while a season of highest expectations painfully melts away from a young championship team supposedly built to last.
Privately, inside the building, you just know the 49ers are talking about it too, to the point it can’t be helped if subtle hints and cryptic messages sometimes come dripping out in their public comments.
The 49ers could be at the end with Jimmy Garoppolo.
Then again, maybe not.
Understandably, in respect for the quarter back that has guided the 49ers to a 24-9 record and trip to the Super Bowl in the four seasons since he arrived in San Francisco, team leadership has made sure to voice steadfast support amid the growing clamor that the 49ers might be better off without him next season.
“I think the elephant in the room — everyone wants to know about Jimmy,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Nov. 13. “Here’s what I know about Jimmy Garoppolo, and I think I’ve been consistent: We’re a better team when he’s out there. We win a lot of games when he’s out there. We struggle to win without him. We have a lot of belief in Jimmy.”
But that belief may only be able to go so far. So make sure and stay tuned, because rampant speculation pervades regarding Garoppolo’s NFL future and status with the 49ers beyond this season. The word going around the league is San Francisco will strongly consider other alternatives at quarterback in 2021.
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
