It looks like Jimmy Garoppolo’s days as the San Francisco 49ers‘ quarterback are over, as head coach Kyle Shanahan said he doesn’t envision a scenario in which the veteran signal-caller returns to the team.
Of course, it looked like that would be the case last offseason, only for Garoppolo to return on a one-year contract.
But now, the 49ers are poised to move forward with Brock Purdy and Trey Lance at that position, which will make him one of the more sought-after free agent QBs on the market.
Several teams are expected to make a real push at him, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler feels the Atlanta Falcons would be a good fit for Garoppolo.
A league evaluator pointed out that Jimmy Garoppolo would be a good fit with the #Falcons, says @JFowlerESPN
“A bridge starter with QB1 upside, Garoppolo would get shades of the Niners' offense with the Falcons, thanks to Arthur Smith's lean on the run and play-action.” pic.twitter.com/USJtX3spDB
— JPA (@jasrifootball) February 4, 2023
The Falcons had a 7-10 record this season and finished in last place in the NFC South, but they do have some promising talent moving forward, including running backs Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier.
Allgeier led the way for Atlanta in 2022 with 1,035 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, three of them on the ground.
The team was first in rushing attempts this season, which means that, at least in a vague sense, its offensive system is similar to what Shanahan uses in San Francisco.
Garoppolo isn’t the greatest pocket passer, nor is he the most accurate passer on intermediate and long-range attempts, but he is a very good quarterback when used in a system that relies on running the football and predominantly throwing passes within 10 yards downfield.
This season, he posted 2,437 passing yards while completing 67.2 percent of his passes, throwing 16 touchdown passes and putting up a 103.0 passer rating in 11 games.
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