"It is what it is." Words uttered so often by Jimmy Garoppolo that they could have been part of a press conference drinking game. However, those words seem fitting in describing the last five weeks.
With his future uncertain, Garoppolo didn't want to end his time with the San Francisco 49ers on the sideline, dealing with yet another injury—the way two previous seasons had ended. Instead, he wanted to fight to be on the field with his teammates, and fight he did.
Garoppolo had a stretch during the season where he was playing impressive football, limiting mistakes and helping his team rebound from a 3-5 start. Then he suffered a torn ligament and chipped bone in his right thumb, making throwing the football excruciatingly painful. But Garoppolo did enough to get the 49ers into the playoffs and knock off two division winners during that run, suffering a shoulder sprain along the way to go with that gimpy thumb.
Along the way, Garoppolo would say, "It is what it is," whenever he was asked about his injuries, knowing that his time with San Francisco was nearing an end, but wanting to keep this run with these teammates, these coaches, going.
In Inglewood, California, at SoFi Stadium, everything finally caught up with Garoppolo, and that run came to an end.
"Now I can say the truth," Garoppolo told Michael Silver of Bally Sports after the heartbreaking 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. "Every play, I feel it. But we made it through."
Garoppolo will likely undergo surgery on his thumb in the coming weeks, hoping to be at 100 percent for wherever he lands. He has been in pretty bad shape, it seems.
"I can't believe this s--- held up, to be completely honest with you," Garoppolo said. "The thumb, the shoulder … all of it. It was one thing after another. … Every time I threw. It was a lot."
Garoppolo spent four-and-a-half seasons with the 49ers. Next season, he will likely have to become acclimated with another locker room. Last year, San Francisco drafted his replacement, Trey Lance, with the No. 3 overall pick. Head coach Kyle Shanahan never admitted it, but Silver heard that those inside the building were so impressed by Lance's first week of training camp that they believed the rookie might overtake Garoppolo for the starting job.
Then that play leveled off, and Garoppolo held onto the job. That doesn't mean he didn't benefit from the competition.
"Yeah, I think the competition, or whatever it is, it pushes you," Garoppolo told Silver. "When (the trade) happened, I think it kind of just sent me to a different zone. And I think that paid off this year. It paid off for this team. And good things came from it."
The finality of the loss hit Garoppolo by the time he spoke with reporters after the game. The emotions of what it meant for him, the team, and his future, started to seep through.
"They hit pretty hard in the locker room," Garoppolo said during his post-game press conference. "I think these next couple days, it'll really start to settle in a little bit. Emotions are high after a game, win or loss. It's one of those things you've got to be glad it happened, smile from it, and think about the good things.
"We'll see what happens in these next couple of days, weeks, whatever, but I love this team. The fight and the battle in this team throughout the entire year has been really impressive, and I love those guys."
Garoppolo's teammates won't forget what the veteran quarterback brought to the huddle during his four-and-a-half seasons. The quarterback was a polarizing figure among a fanbase that wasn't surprised to see how his time with the 49ers came to an end—on a pass thrown toward running back JaMycal Hasty but bouncing into the arms of Rams linebacker Travin Howard with 1:09 remaining. In the locker room, though, Garoppolo was loved.
"Every time you get into a huddle with him, you always believe that you can go score," tight end George Kittle said. "And I think that's such a hell of an attribute because not everybody has that. Sometimes you get in huddles, and you don't really know. It's nothing against quarterbacks I've ever played with, but there's just a difference.
"You can just feel that energy from him. And he's just so confident in us and his ability. We all believe in him. When he looks at you, you (think), 'I believe in myself, but he believes in me too.' And it makes me work a little bit harder."
Garoppolo boarded the 49ers buses at SoFi Stadium, getting ready to depart for the airport and the short flight back to the Bay Area, all while savoring what could be one of his last times with this group of players.
"All through this, I haven't even thought about (my future)," Garoppolo told Silver. "It'll hit me on this plane ride, and probably tomorrow a little bit. But we'll figure that out when we figure it out."
