Everyone has an opinion about Jimmy Garoppolo’s first full season as an NFL starter.
On Monday, for the first time since the 49ers’ bitter Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Garoppolo spoke publicly about how he thought he performed in 2019.
“I thought it was a productive year,” Garoppolo said on a video call with Bay Area reporters. “Obviously, it didn’t finish the way we wanted it to. But I think there were a lot of things that went well for us.”
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Garoppolo had just 10 NFL starts in his first five seasons. He played in just three games in 2018 due to a torn ACL. Last year, he started all 16 regular-season games and posted one of the better individual seasons from a quarterback in 49ers history.
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Garoppolo ranked third in 49ers history with a 69.1 completion percentage. That accuracy also enabled his receivers to post big yards-after-the-catch numbers. Garoppolo threw for 3,978 yards, ranking fourth in franchise history.
“The thing I always take pride in is being an accurate quarterback,” Garoppolo said. “The more accurate you are, the more yards after the catch your guys can go get for you. So in our offense, it’s putting the ball in the right spot, putting it in the right timing of the play and it’s little things like that that go a long way in our offense.
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“I was pretty happy with everything, how it went. Like I said, we just want the last game of the season to turn out a little differently.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch discussed the possibility of pursuing Tom Brady as a free agent this offseason before opting to remain committed to Garoppolo, who turns 29 on Nov. 2.
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Garoppolo believes, as do Shanahan and Lynch, that he has room to grow as he gains experience. One area where Garoppolo can improve is in taking care of the ball. He threw 16 interceptions in 19 games, including the postseason.
“Having my first full season under my belt, coming off the ACL and everything that went into that season, it will only help me going forward,” Garoppolo said. “I think in terms of being a quarterback, I still have a long way to go. I’m still relatively young for a quarterback, just in terms of playing time.
“As a quarterback, you got to get out there and get the reps, play, get in the live action like that. I think having a full season under my belt will help me going forward.”