The Jimmy Garoppolo era didn’t end with the 49ers hoisting their sixth Lombardi Trophy. That combined with some of the on-field tumult throughout his 4.5 years in the Bay Area makes it easy to point out the negatives of his tenure. However, considering where the 49ers were when he arrived, the trade to acquire Garoppolo and the ensuing years that followed it have to be marked as a success.
A complicated 4.5 years renders useless the scale of success that starts and ends with a Super Bowl.
When Garoppolo made his first start for San Francisco in Week 13 of the 2017 season they were sitting at 1-10 with no real direction. His five consecutive wins kickstarted the 49ers’ rebuild. Suddenly they were playoff contenders going into 2018 instead of toiling in mediocrity as they searched for a franchise signal caller.
