San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan knows what Jimmy Garoppolo is.. and isn’t. Garoppolo, who was lost for at least the rest of the regular season (and probably more) to a foot injury in the 49ers’ 33-17 Week 13 win over the Miami Dolphins, is a perfectly acceptable distributor of the football in the right system. If you want deep shots, and tight-window throws over the middle, Garoppolo has never been that guy. It’s one reason the 49ers gave three first-round picks to the Dolphins before the 2021 draft to move up and select North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick.
Sadly, Lance was lost in September to a fractured ankle, so when Garoppolo was hurt, the 49ers had to go with Iowa State rookie Brock Purdy, the last player selected in the 2022 draft, and thus, this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”
