Jimmy Garoppolo nearly led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl title last season, and he might not get the chance to return to the big game with the NFC West franchise.
Garoppolo's future with the 49ers has been in question throughout the season as injuries have derailed both him and the team overall in 2020. San Francisco entered Sunday's Week 17 game versus the Seattle Seahawks with a 6-9 record.
What's the latest on his status with the 49ers?
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"Garoppolo's injuries certainly complicate the picture. Kyle Shanahan, the coach said, he believes Garoppolo will be the quarterback in 2021, but he says he can't say it with certainty. Most league insiders believe if there's a better option, the 49ers will have somebody other than Garoppolo at the start of next season," ESPN's Chris Mortensen said on "Sunday NFL Countdown", as transcribed by Bleacher Report's Tyler Conway.
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Garoppolo was traded from the New England Patriots to the 49ers during the 2017 season. He's played pretty well for San Francisco, but injuries have prevented him from being healthy enough to play on a consistent basis.
He missed nearly all of the 2018 season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 3. Garoppolo bounced back with an excellent 2019 campaign to lead the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. This season has again been marred with injuries for Garoppolo. He's played in just six of the 49ers' 15 games entering Sunday.
New England Patriots
The Patriots could need a new starting quarterback in 2021 after Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham have both failed to impress this season. Garoppolo, as either a trade candidate or free agent pickup if he's released, makes a lot of sense for the Patriots. He obviously knows Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' system pretty well, and he knows what it's like to play for head coach Bill Belichick.
Garoppolo doesn't have any guaranteed money left on his contract after this season. The 49ers also would not have to take on much dead cap space -- less than $3 million in 2021, per Spotrac -- if they moved on from him in the offseason.
Report: Pats expected to part ways with Newton after 2020 season
The Pats could go in a number of different ways in finding their quarterback of the future. They could select one in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. They could trade for a veteran such as Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz or Garoppolo. They also could stick with Newton or Stidham.
One name to watch in the offseason is Garoppolo, who, if healthy, still has the ability to be a quality starting quarterback on a Super Bowl contender.