In a surprising twist, Jimmy Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco is not over, and he will remain with the 49ers as an experienced backup to Trey Lance.
NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Monday that the 49ers and Garoppolo are finalizing a new contract that will make him the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL. Garoppolo’s new deal is worth $6.5 million fully guaranteed with incentives that can push it to close to $16 million, Rapoport and Garafolo added. The reworked deal will also lower Garoppolo’s 2022 salary-cap number from $26.95 million to around $8.5 million.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported that Garoppolo’s contract also includes a no-trade clause and a no-franchise tag clause. Thus, the QB controls where he goes and will be a free agent after this season.
Monday’s new development comes after a prolonged waiting period in which the veteran quarterback underwent shoulder surgery and spent all of training camp rehabbing the 49ers’ roster.
San Francisco traded up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 draft to select Lance, sitting him behind Garoppolo for most of the rookie’s first season before officially handing the keys to the franchise over to the youngster.
Garoppolo knew of the 49ers’ succession plan and bid farewell to San Francisco following the 49ers’ heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, but his shoulder procedure complicated matters. As the quarterback carousel turned in many NFL cities, Garoppolo could only watch from four while recovering, and San Francisco ultimately could not find a proper deal to move him elsewhere via trade.
While most everyone expected San Francisco to either trade or release the veteran quarterback, the 49ers are instead content with keeping the trusted veteran who once led San Francisco to a Super Bowl as a possible insurance policy for Lance, the second-year quarterback who enters 2022 with plenty to prove.
Garoppolo arrived in San Francisco, a team that was in desperate need for a franchise QB, via trade with the New England Patriots in the middle of the 2017 season. He stepped into the role and played well enough to draw a five-year contract worth $137.5 million, establishing himself as the face of the club’s future under center.