“Go be a bu**hole to the 49ers”- Mike Florio advises Jimmy Garoppolo to stand up to San Francisco organization
Jimmy Garoppolo and his future with the San Francisco 49ers is looking murky at best.
Last season wasn't ideal for Garoppolo as he spent much of it looking over his shoulder with Trey Lance waiting in the wings. When the 49ers drafted Lance, the writing was on the wall for the former Patriots quarterback that his time in San Francisco was coming to an end.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke on the PFT podcast about the situation. He opined that Jimmy Garoppolo needed to drop his nice guy act and put the pressure back on the organization to sort out his situation.
Florio said:
"You mentioned Baker Mayfield there's a significant difference between Mayfield’s situation and Garoppolo. Mayfield is getting his money this year, right no matter what 18.8 million is fully and completely guaranteed. Garoppolo’s money doesn't become guaranteed unless he's on the roster as of week one, and then it's not really guaranteed it becomes termination pay under the CBA."
He continued:
"If they cut him he gets the rest of it. So, he's getting it if he makes it to week one. But if they would dump him Labor Day weekend as part of the cuts down to 53. He's, he's a man without a country, a man without a Payday a man without anything."
Florio went on to state:
"And that's why at some point, Mike, he's got to drop the Jimmy Nice Guy routine. He's got to get the smile off of his face and go be a bu**hole to the 49ers and say listen, I want some clarity on my situation here."
#49ers GM John Lynch says he sees a scenario where Jimmy Garoppolo ends up staying on the roster.
They're going to be patient with him. "You don't just give players like that away," - John Lynch https://t.co/zgFEwLr4Xj
Florio added:
"And of course, the 49ers was probably saying, well, you know what you should have negotiated contract so the guarantee kicked in before September, but very rarely in the out year of a contract. Does it have that trigger in there, they're in a position where they can mess with him, but he can push back."
The NFL analyst continued:
"And he did media last week, and he kind of pushed back a little bit. He said that the 2021 season with Trey Lance, it was a strange year and he wouldn't wish that on anybody."
Florio concluded:
"That's kind of a sign that he's not on board with the idea of sticking around again. And being in that weird posture with the 49ers as they try to groom their next quarterback. But you know, the sooner it's resolved the better for him. But I don't see it being resolved anytime soon if the 49ers are going to be as stubborn as they seem to be."
Where will Jimmy Garoppolo play in 2022?
49ers general manager John Lynch stated that he won't give Jimmy Garoppolo away, but the fact is that the quarterback's future is away from the organization. Having both Garoppolo and Lance on the roster come Week 1 will only cause further confusion.
Several teams need a new quarterback with Seattle and Carolina at the top of the queue. It is unlikely that the 49ers would trade their quarterback in the conference, so a trade to the AFC would be more plausible.
So just where Jimmy Garoppolo will end up in 2022 remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: it shouldn't be with the San Francisco 49ers.