Garoppolo trade lays foundation for the future
This is an odd thing to write about an injury-ravaged 0-8 team with five close losses, but here it goes: Man, the 49ers sure are lucky.
How else to describe an organization that has a potential franchise quarterback land in their lap? On Monday, a day after they stumbled to yet another defeat, the 49ers stumbled onto their first win of 2017: Jimmy Garoppolo.
Suddenly, their brick-by-brick rebuilding project, an undertaking that appeared stalled until 2018, had a foundation. And, perhaps, a few walls — and a sweet kitchen with granite countertops and cathedral ceilings.
As head coach Kyle Shanahan said, Garoppolo wasn’t acquired from the Patriots for a second-round pick to save their season. Rather, he will be part of a future that instantly and unexpectedly became brighter about 24 hours after they became the first team in franchise history to start 0-8.
“An unbelievable opportunity came our way in the midst of what’s really been a tough season,” general manager John Lynch said Tuesday. “Where we are right now, it’s not fun. But Kyle and I, and I think everybody in the building, feels positive things. I can tell you that what happened this weekend felt a lot better after yesterday.”
Garoppolo, who is working to grasp the playbook, will serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind rookie C.J. Beathard when the 49ers host the Cardinals on Sunday. Garoppolo also serves as a symbol of an optimistic future while the other backup quarterback, Arizona’s Blaine Gabbert, is a symbol of the 49ers’ awful recent past.
Before Monday, however, the 49ers’ season felt much like 2016 when Gabbert opened the 2-14 season as the starter.
Shanahan, known as a QB guru, hadn’t impressed with his first moves at the position: Brian Hoyer was benched after six starts and Beathard, whom the 49ers traded up to pick in the third round, has been underwhelming in relief. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ decision to bypass Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, the No. 12 pick of the Texans whose brilliant rookie season ended this week because of a torn ACL, was drawing criticism.
Of course, the 49ers bypassed Watson and other quarterbacks in the first round and celebrated because they landed their second- and third-rated prospects. However, defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who will miss Sunday’s game with a knee injury, has been just OK and inside linebacker Reuben Foster has been mostly injured.
The new regime was flirting with catching its first bit of heat, but it’s back to being hailed. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, whose team was beaten by Garoppolo in his first career start in last year’s season opener, suggested he could be a steal.
“I think he’s going to be one of the top-flight (quarterbacks) in that offense,” Arians said.
Lynch and Shanahan deserve some credit, but here’s the truth: They should send a gift basket to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who initiated the deal.
On Thursday, on KNBR, Lynch said the offer was “extremely fair,” and he termed it “too good to be true.” After Belichick’s call, Lynch and Shanahan consulted for about 10 minutes.
“We said, ‘Hey, this is good for our organization — now let’s go look at the compensation,’ ” Lynch said. “I’m thinking, just from knowing past (trades) for guys that are franchise quarterbacks, this sounds really good. Let’s go confirm that.”
They consulted executive Paraag Marathe, who has charts detailing the compensation involved in past quarterback trades. For perspective: On Tuesday, the Browns tried to trade a second- and thirdround pick for Bengals backup A.J. McCarron, who is widely viewed as a lesser prospect than Garoppolo (the deal didn’t get finalized before the trade deadline).
Lynch said the Patriots and 49ers agreed to terms about an hour after Belichick first reached out.
The 49ers, who were rebuffed when they expressed interest in Garoppolo during the offseason, were fortunate the Patriots were backed into a corner: Garoppolo is the final year of his contract and Tuesday’s trade deadline was their last chance to get the most compensation for him.
In addition, the 49ers are lucky they aren’t in the AFC. The Patriots didn’t want to send Garoppolo to a team that could block their path to a Super Bowl.
However, it might have not been a complete accident that Garoppolo fell in their lap. In 2008, Lynch finished his 15-year playing career by spending part of training camp with the Patriots, and that began a strong relationship with Belichick.
Based on what happened Monday, it sounds as if the 49ers have a general manager and head coach who are respected. And now, it appears, they might have a quality quarterback, as a result.
“I won’t speak for (Belichick), but I do think there was a side of him that wanted to make sure that Jimmy was in good hands,” Lynch said. “… He wants to thank Jimmy Garoppolo, and he wanted to make sure he ended up in a good spot. And he respects the heck out of Kyle Shanahan as a coach and felt like we’re doing things the right way.”