The 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo are making significant headway toward a multi-year contract, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Long-term contract extension negotiations between Garoppolo and the 49ers have gained significant momentum, and a deal could get done in the near future, sources informed of the situation said.
Getting Garoppolo signed is one of the 49ers’ top priorities this offseason after the former Patriots quarterback seemingly changed the trajectory of the franchise in five starts to end the 2017 season.
“As I said, we want Jimmy very much to be our franchise quarterback, and I think Jimmy wants that as well,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said on KNBR last week. “To me that makes too much sense not to happen. So, we’re going to continue working. … We feel optimistic in the discussions we’ve had with Jimmy’s side.”
San Francisco won all five games Garoppolo started after beginning the season 1-10. Garoppolo completed 67.1 percent of his passes while averaging 308.4 yards with a 94.0 quarterback rating in his starts. Those numbers paced out to an entire season would have ranked, fifth, first and 12th, respectively. He led two fourth-quarter comebacks and beat three teams that appeared in the playoffs.
The 49ers with Garoppolo increased their scoring from 17.0 points per game (28th) to 28.5 (fifth). Their total yardage went from 21st to third in the NFL.
Getting a deal done before the start of next season ensures Garoppolo won’t play under the franchise tag in 2018, which is expected to be worth roughly $25 million. According to the report, Garoppolo is expected to be paid in the “upper echelon of NFL QBs.”
The 49ers are expected to have over $100 million in salary cap space when the new league year begins in March. Getting Garoppolo signed to a multi-year agreement would allow Lynch and second-year coach Kyle Shanahan to focus on upgrading the rest of the roster to make a run at the postseason. They have the financial resources to be aggressive in free agency and nine picks in the NFL draft.
San Francisco last made the playoffs in 2013 and has been searching for a long-term answer at quarterback for the better part of the last three seasons.
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