When quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2017 season, he rescued a franchise that was stuck in the wilderness.
His arrival greatly sped up the rebuilding process, and it only took two years before they were an elite team again.
Along the way, Garoppolo developed a reputation for being a class act.
With the emergence of rookie QB Brock Purdy last season, he has moved on to the Las Vegas Raiders, and when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if he had talked to Garoppolo since his departure, he said that one has to “run into Jimmy to have a conversation with him.”
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if he's talked to Jimmy Garoppolo since he moved on to the Raiders.
Shanahan's response: "That would be impossible. You've gotta run into Jimmy to have a conversation with him."
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) March 28, 2023
Before coming to the 49ers, Garoppolo spent three years with the New England Patriots, where he backed up Tom Brady, and he started two games in 2016 when Brady was suspended as a result of the Deflategate scandal.
In that capacity, he was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams in 2014 and 2016.
When Garoppolo arrived in the Bay, the Niners were 0-8, but once Shanahan made him the starter, they immediately went on a five-game winning streak.
He played in just six games the following season, but in 2019 he led the team to the Super Bowl, where they held a late lead over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, only to lose.
In 2021, Garoppolo took the Niners to the brink of another Super Bowl appearance before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and despite losing his starting job prior to last season, he was back at QB1 when Trey Lance injured his ankle in Week 2.
Garoppolo himself suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 13, and once rookie Brock Purdy did an admirable job of filling in, it was clear his days in San Francisco were numbered.
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