Jimmy Garoppolo put together the best statistical season for a 49ers quarterback in nearly a quarter century.
And he did it while playing his first full season as an NFL starter while also coming back from a torn ACL in his left knee.
“He takes a lot of heat for a guy who had excellent numbers and brought his team to the Super Bowl last year,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said this week on "49ers Insider Podcast."
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One place where Garoppolo is fully appreciated is within the organization.
After team officials received word that Tom Brady was interested in playing for 49ers, they took a hard look at the possibility. Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan and others within the organization carefully considered the pros and cons of pursuing Brady.
They decided it was in the best interest of the team -- short term and long term -- to stick with Garoppolo.
“We thought Jimmy was a big reason we were at the Super Bowl,” Lynch said. “That, I guess, gave us more cause to go look a little deeper. What we said was, ‘We got the answer right in the building.’ And that’s exciting for us because we think Jimmy’s best ball is in front of him, for a number of reasons.
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“Physically, he’ll be another year away from the knee injury. Experience at that position is so critical, as you can file in the bank experiences that you’ve gone through and say, ‘OK, I’ve seen this before.’ That only comes through going out there and competing.”
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Garoppolo made all 19 starts during the regular season and playoffs. He threw for 3,978 yards in the regular season, fourth-most in franchise history. His passer rating of 102.0 was the best for a 49ers quarterback since Steve Young had a 104.7 rating in 1997. Garoppolo's completion percentage of 69.1 was third-best in franchise history. And his 8.4 yards per pass attempt was the best since Young had a 8.5 average in ’97.
“I think he’s a really good fit for what we do,” Lynch said. “He’s a sneaky-good athlete. He can play on the move. He can throw on time. His quick release, I think, is his calling card. He just does a lot of things.”
Garoppolo completed 18 of his first 22 pass attempts before going cold in the fourth quarter of the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV loss the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished with 20 completions on 31 attempts for 219 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Garoppolo threw 13 interceptions in 16 regular-season games. That is the area in which Lynch said he expects Garoppolo to show the most improvement in his second full season as the starter.
“I think that, taking care of the football, I think that’s something," Lynch said. "But that’s a fine line. Kyle doesn’t teach guys to play safe. He wants them, as he says, to let it rip.”
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Lynch said there is a fine line between playing loose and exercising some caution with risk-reward throws. The GM said he believes going through the experiences last season will allow Garoppolo to make better split-second decisions.
“We know it will only get better,” Lynch said. “His physical skills, I really believe, are elite. I believe he’s extremely underrated as a thrower. He’s one of the great natural throwers in this league.
“I’m just excited to see him continue to grow. He’s got to put the work in. The thing that’s so exciting, he knows there’s a ton of room for improvement and he embraces that.”