THE JIMMY GAROPPOLO CONUNDRUM

Lets address the handsome elephant in the room.

Let me start off by saying I am a 49er fan. Have been as long as I can remember. Well there was that one year I was an Eagles fan because of Terrell Owens, but its a small hiccup in a lifetime of red and gold.

I remember where I was when JG was traded to SF for pennies from New England. Working one of the two jobs I was frequenting at the time. ( Still work two jobs for what it’s worth. No rest for the wicked.) I remember thinking some of the hype was worth it after the past year of excretion the organization had laid on the field. Within a calendar year, they had put these quarterbacks on the field.

• Colin Kaepernick

• Blaine Gabbert

• Bryan Hoyer

• CJ Beathard

I mean no disrespect when I say this, but, Yikes. In all fairness, the current Shanahan-Lynch regime started after the Kap/Gab year. The organization wanted stability after the rocky end to the Harbaugh years, the Tomsula Terror, and the Chip Kelly (I’ll be generous here) experiment. The idea was to bring in high-character guys to steady the locker room and build for the future.

Halloween of that year, they pulled the trigger on the trade that would change the entire look of the franchise.

Oh what a handsome look it was.

While he didn’t start right away, he would get his chance soon enough. Finally getting the call for the last 5 games of the year, he would lead the Niners to a perfect 5-0 record as starter. Hopes were indeed high.

I remember the excitement walking into Levi’s Stadium on Christmas Eve that year, attending the game against the Jaguars. At the time, Jacksonville had the leagues best defense. The Niners put up 44 points that afternoon amid another strong performance by Jimmy G. A connection with George Kittle for 6 sent the Christmas crowd into holiday bliss. He showed poise in the pocket under pressure in the Red Zone. It truly was like Santa Claus had answered the call for Niner fans that they would have a franchise quarterback again. One that generations of faithful would pass down to grandchildren and more.

I don’t need to recap the whole time with San Francisco. There was the ACL, the Ankle, other ailments. The calm in the pocket often produced a head scratching turnover.

2019 was fantastic. No one mentions that, as if the injury the year prior had suddenly soured the opinion of him as a QB. Instead the focus now is on the 49ers run game that dominated in the playoffs, and the deep ball that missed Emmanuel Sanders in Super Bowl 54.

Still Hurts.

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2020 was the Injury Year. Everyone died on the field. Most injured team. Blah

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2021, Insert Trey Lance. Everyone knew he was going to hold a clipboard that year, but fans were eager to see the young, athletic rookie play. Finally, a quarterback that would hold Garoppolo’s feet to the fire when he performed bad. 3-5 after 8 weeks, looked like it was going to be the end of the era.

Yet, the team got hot. Eventually making their way into the NFC Championship again. He was banged up, and played through the pain. Coming up just short.

The feeling was, this is it. It’s Lance’s team now.

And it was. We had our goodbyes as fans. Personally, I was ready for the change. I wanted to see the kid play, but I was eternally grateful for all he did for the franchise. I was excited to see him get paid on another team.

Then all the teams got other quarterbacks. He was still here.

Then Training camp came, he was on the field out back.

Why is he still here? A cloud covers the entire organization. Why wasn’t the move made? The shock of the offseason was Jimmy restructuring his deal to stay with the team one more year, as an insurance policy for Trey Lance if he got hurt or played worse than advertised.

5 quarters into this season, he got the call.

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So where are we now?

Despite a slow start, the team seems to have reached a semblance of what’s possible with the current talent on the team. Sitting at 6-4, having just demolished the Cardinals in Mexico City, the schedule lightens up just a bit for them.

Yet the question, the cloud, the conundrum remains: What will happen with Jimmy G?

He’s going to sign somewhere else? Right? There’s no way the Niners are going to resign him with a cheaper quarterback on the roster and Bosa’s contract extension coming.

Yet, we thought this before.

Would they resign him…If they win the Super Bowl?

Yes, there are worse problems to have with a franchise. Look at Houston. Or Vegas. Or Denver.

Garoppolo is playing some of the best football of his career. The passes he’s making are inch perfect. More importantly, he hasn’t thrown an Interception in 3 weeks.

I MEAN LOOK AT THE PLACEMENT

Niner Fans, just enjoy the ride. The Wednesday after the last game this season (whenever that may be) then you can worry about what the future holds. Until then, Jimmy G and the Niners are the couple that stays together for the kid until he’s ready.