SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Barring what San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan would call a shocking development, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has played his last photo of the 2020 NFL season as he continues to work his way back from a high ankle sprain.
However, that doesn’t mean that Garoppolo played his last game as Niner.
When asked on Monday if he thinks Garoppolo will return as his starting quarterback in 2021, Shanahan reiterated that he will and went into detail about what will go into their offseason approach with him and the position as a whole.
“Yes, I do believe that Jimmy will be our quarterback next year,” Shanahan said, echoing what he said after Garoppolo sprained the ankle for the second time on November 1.
At the time, Shanahan left a little leeway for a possible quarterback shuffling, noting that no selection decisions would be made for the next season so far from the scheduled start.
When Shanahan said again on Monday that he believes Garoppolo will be the team’s quarterback in 2021, he was asked why he is so confident given the scope of Garoppolo’s contract and his injury history.
Again, Shanahan explained, as he and general manager John Lynch have often done, that they will always look at all the options that can make the team better.
“You can’t say anything for sure,” Shanahan said. “You are here to make no promises. When you put together a football team, your job is to put together the best team year after year.”
But Shanahan’s support of Garoppolo is more directly tied to the idea that if the 49ers are going to replace him, they can be sure of getting an upgrade. That’s not an easy task given the 49ers are 22-8 in regular season games Garoppolo has started and 7-26 in all games started by other quarterbacks since Shanahan took over in 2017.
“You look down every avenue and you see if there is anything that could make you a lot better,” Shanahan said. “That’s the same answer for every position, but look at Jimmy, look at what he’s done, see where he stands financially. We better have a really good answer if you’re going to find something better, because Jimmy has in a year shown he’s the guy who can get us to the Super Bowl, and I also think Jimmy will get a lot better the more he plays. ”
Garoppolo will count $ 26.9 million by the salary cap next season and $ 27 million by 2022.
The 49ers could theoretically move on from Garoppolo and save $ 24.1 million in cap space with just $ 2.8 million in dead money in a low season when the salary ceiling is expected to drop and they are expected to have about 40 players in some form. of free power.
But Shanahan doesn’t consider Garoppolo’s salary particularly tough, noting that since he signed his $ 137.5 million five-year deal in 2018, many other quarterbacks have surpassed him. Garoppolo’s $ 26.9 million salary cap for next season would be the 11th highest in the NFL.
“That’s exactly how much they cost,” Shanahan said. “So it’s not like it’s such a ridiculous thing or anything. We can fix that all. Not to mention, look at Jimmy’s record if he’s been here. Jimmy, you can win with it. He’s proven it. He’s proven it. that he’s a starting quarterback in this league. “
Many of the questions about Garoppolo are not so much about his contract, but about the combination of his contract and his injury history. With the likelihood of Garoppolo not playing against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, he has missed 23 regular-season games in the past three seasons.
In addition to the torn ACL that took him 13 games in 2018 and the pair of high ankle sprains that kept him out of 10 games this year, Garoppolo also had a shoulder injury that prevented him from starting a few times when he joined the New England Patriots in 2016.
That, along with the pending free agency for backups Nick Mullens (limited) and CJ Beathard (unlimited), means the Niners will have to spend a long time looking at their quarterback room as they head into 2021 anyway.
“Yes, we have to be able to improve our team and all that if he gets hurt, but also which will help that if you ever have a backup who plays a full year, will try to keep the rest of your squad healthy,” said Shanahan “It would also be a difficult year for Jimmy if he stayed there. Yes, we would have had a better chance because of how good Jimmy is, but it was tough for anyone who would be put in that position. . So you’re not going to sit and overreact just because our back quarterbacks had to play in tough situations all year round, but you’re going to see who we can get next year. “
At Shanahan’s point over the rest of the roster, the 49ers came out of Saturday’s win against the Arizona Cardinals with even more dropouts in a season full.
Left tackle Trent Williams (sprained elbow) and rookie wide-out Brandon Aiyuk (high ankle sprain) will not play against the Seahawks on Sunday after injuries against the Cardinals. Shanahan also ruled out cornerback Richard Sherman this week as he is still struggling with a calf injury. Williams and Sherman will become unlimited free agents.
The 49ers also put long snapper Taybor Pepper and center Hroniss Grasu on the reserve / COVID-19 list on Monday.