Jimmy Garoppolo was not asked to do much as the 49ers rolled to back-to-back 17-point victories while breezing through the NFC side of the playoff bracket last season.
Then, Garoppolo and his teammates struggled in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV, as the 49ers blew a 10-point lead in a 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
But that does not cloud how 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan reflects back on Garoppolo’s season, which also happened to be his first full season as an NFL starter.
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“I think Jimmy Garoppolo had an unbelievable year last year,” Shanahan said during the 49ers’ State of the Franchise virtual event on 49ers.com.
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In 27 games with Garoppolo as the starter since his arrival in Santa Clara during the 2017 season, the 49ers are 21-6, including the postseason. In games Garoppolo did not start in 2017 and ’18, the 49ers were 4-20.
Last season, Garoppolo ranked in the top five in the NFL in touchdowns (27), completion percentage (69.1) and yards per attempt (8.4). But in the postseason with the running game and defense going strong, Garoppolo completed 17 of just 27 attempts in victories over Minnesota and Green Bay.
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Still, if the 2019 season was just the floor for Garoppolo’s production, Shanahan will sign up for that in 2020.
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“Jimmy was one of the better quarterbacks in the league (last) year, and there’s still a ton of room to grow, though,” Shanahan said. “And he knows that. I know that. To have only one year in this league for him to do what he did is very exciting.
“I can’t wait to get started with him this year. And I expect him to get better and better each week.”