In the midst of the NBA trade deadline insanity, NFL.com is reporting the San Francisco 49ers have made a huge move, signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year, $137.5 million deal. His salary will overtake Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s as the highest yearly salary in the history of the NFL at $27.5 million per year.
While Garoppolo only has seven career starts, I love this deal for the 49ers. As the backup for years behind Tom Brady in New England, Garoppolo’s potential was mostly unknown until a mid-season deal sent him to San Francisco in October of 2017. After making him their starting quarterback a few weeks later, the 49ers went 5-0 as he averaged over 300 yards per game and a 67% completion percentage.
The most amazing part is that Garoppolo basically fell into San Francisco’s lap for a second-round pick due to an embarrassment of riches at quarterback for New England. $137.5 million is a lot of money to commit on a guy that hasn’t even played half a regular season worth of football, but I give a lot of respect to the 49ers for not messing around if they knew they wanted him long-term.
