Jimmy Garoppolo on His Future with 49ers After Loss to Rams: ‘We’ll See What Happens’

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo may have played his last game for the team in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship.

After the game, Garoppolo explained his emotions and indicated that he’s not thinking about the future right now.

“They hit pretty hard in the locker room. These next couple days they’ll settle in a little bit. … Just smile from it and think about the good things,” he said, per Jake Hutchinson of KNBR. “We’ll see what happens in the next couple days and weeks.”

Garoppolo completed 16-of-30 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, but he also threw an ill-advised interception late in the fourth quarter on San Francisco’s final possession.

After signing a five-year contract worth $137 million in 2018, Garoppolo is set to count for a $26.9 million cap hit next season, per Spotrac. However, none of that is guaranteed and the 49ers would only eat $1.4 million in dead money if they were to release him.

The presence of rookie quarterback Trey Lance, who San Francisco selected with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, also indicates that the team is ready to move on from Garoppolo.

After Sunday’s game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Garoppolo’s future and he also said that it wasn’t on his mind at the moment. But he had a lot of praise for his quarterback.

“I love Jimmy. I’m not going to sit here and make a farewell statement or anything right now; it’s the last stuff on my mind,” Shanahan told reporters. “But Jimmy has battled his ass off, he battled today, he did some unbelievable things today. I love coaching Jimmy.”

If Garoppolo’s time with the 49ers is indeed over, he will likely have a lot of suitors on the open market.