The 49ers made the decision in March that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would not be retained beyond the expiration of his contract.
Free safety Jimmie Ward, the longest-tenured member of the 49ers, is grateful the organization kept Garoppolo around for at least one more run.
“He's a competitor, he's a winner, and I'm glad to have him here as our quarterback right now," Ward said on 49ers Talk.
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"I don't know what the future holds, but I'm happy to go out on the field with him Saturday because I can trust him. And I feel like with him playing quarterback, we have a great chance to win the game."
Garoppolo, 30, started more than six games this season for only the second time in his eight-year NFL career.
Since coming to the 49ers in a 2017 mid-season trade from the New England Patriots, the 49ers are 31-14 in regular-season games with him in the starting lineup.
The 49ers are 3-1 with Garoppolo in the postseason, including the team's 23-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.
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"What I've seen from Jimmy, throughout his whole career, when he's healthy, and he's on the field, he's a winner," Ward said. "When he was healthy, we went to the Super Bowl.
“This year, he's healthy, missed a few games, but we're in the playoffs, and got a good chance of winning Saturday.”
Garoppolo will be in the starting lineup Saturday night in an NFC divisional-round playoff game against the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.
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Garoppolo is playing with sprains to his right thumb and right shoulder, but coach Kyle Shanahan believes Garoppolo is throwing the ball well enough to be an asset to the team.
Ward is in that camp, too. He said he is a believer in Garoppolo because of the win-loss column.
“A lot of people will say, 'Jimmy's not throwing these many balls or not completing this and this,’” Ward said. “They start to talk about stats, but at the end of the day, the most important stat is a win and a loss, and I feel like he won more games than he lost."