When the 49ers made it clear they were heading into the 2022 NFL season with Trey Lance as their starting quarterback, it looked like Jimmy Garoppolo didn't have a future in the Bay anymore. However, the circumstances have led San Francisco and Jimmy G to ultimately opt to stay together.
Garoppolo was facing rehab while most teams were trading for quarterbacks, so by the time he was cleared, there were not many opportunities out there. With Garoppolo about to be owned $24.2m as Week 1 drew nearer, his few possible suitors preferred to wait for him to be cut.
Instead, the veteran signal-caller agreed with the Niners on a restructured one-year, $6.5 million fully guaranteed deal that could go up to $16 million. On Thursday, Garoppolo addressed the media for the first time since deciding to stay with the team.
Jimmy Garoppolo admits staying at 49ers wasn't exactly what he expected
"I’m happy the way it worked out," Garoppolo said, via 95.7 The Game. "I don’t think it was exactly how I wanted it to work out, but everything happens for a reason. ... It was weird. It was different than any situation I've been in and and I've been in some weird ones too. I think that's saying something. But I think things worked out for the best.
"Seeing the other opportunities that were out there, you weigh pros and cons of everything. Trust me, there was a lot of back-and-forth going on with other teams and what I wanted my future to look like. This is what I wanted."
A few months back, it was practically impossible to imagine Garoppolo staying in San Francisco to backup Trey Lance. Things didn't work out the way anyone expected, but both the Niners and Garoppolo seem to be satisfied with the solution they've found.
