Fair or not, Garoppolo has shouldered much of the fan blame for this season's woes. The 49ers were riding a four-game losing streak (Garoppolo missed a game and a half during that stretch due to a calf injury) before this past weekend's win against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Garoppolo played like a man looking to prove his critics wrong, completing 17 of his 28 pass attempts for 322 yards and a passer rating of 100.6. He even had two rushing touchdowns in the 33-22 victory.
Coming off a win and strong performance, one NFL Media analyst believes the 49ers should have taken advantage of the situation. Gil Brandt has Garoppolo listed as one of the seven deals he feels should have happened before the trade deadline.
Where does Brandt feel Garoppolo should have landed? With Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints. Quarterback Jameis Winston suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and sustained MCL damage on Sunday, leaving the Saints coach Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill as his options moving forward.
"On a certain level, it makes sense that New Orleans did not rush to make a deadline deal," wrote Brandt. "And adding Garoppolo's contract likely would have been difficult to navigate for the cap-strapped team. But given that this regret-tinged reflection on what could have been is already an exercise in alternate realities, let's set all that aside. Because the idea of Payton making Garoppolo his latest reclamation project is just too tantalizing not to chew over."
The season-long narrative has been that Garoppolo is holding the offense back, keeping it from reaching its full potential. As a result, fans are eager to see if Lance can add a spark to the team. However, Shanahan has been pleased with Garoppolo and called the narrative that the quarterback has played poorly all season "inaccurate."
Garoppolo will remain with San Francisco for the remainder of the season, but Brandt still wonders about what could have been.
"Imagine Garoppolo helping to shepherd New Orleans' otherwise competitive roster to the playoffs," Brandt continued, "refurbishing his reputation and maybe even setting himself up as a potential long-term option for Payton. San Francisco, meanwhile, might have benefitted from committing the rest of the season to Trey Lance's development while also extracting extra picks rather than delaying the inevitable end to the Jimmy G era."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Florio: Brock Purdy may never become a top QB, so why should the 49ers pay him like one?
Mike Florio's hot takes frequently spark debate among NFL fans, and his latest comments about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will probably be no exception. As the 49ers enter contract extension talks with Purdy—talks expected to make him one of the NFL's... -
Jed York: Brock Purdy is a top-10 QB, and 49ers deal 'shouldn't be that hard'
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York is steering clear of the contract negotiations between the team and quarterback Brock Purdy. The goal is to secure a long-term extension that would make Purdy one of the NFL's highest-paid players. The challenge lies in determining fair... -
NFL exec doubts Brock Purdy gets top-market deal from 49ers
Speculation continues to swirl around what kind of contract extension quarterback Brock Purdy might receive from the San Francisco 49ers. Will he land a deal comparable to Dak Prescott's $60 million annual average, or will his salary fall further down the list, possibly outside... -
John Lynch: 49ers deal with Brock Purdy before offseason program possible, but not guaranteed
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke with reporters Monday at the NFL's annual league meeting in Florida, addressing contract negotiations with quarterback Brock Purdy—while keeping details to a minimum. One thing, however, was clear when asked if Purdy...