Garoppolo pact near, report says
It took quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo less than a month to dramatically change the trajectory of a 1-10 team.
And it appears it might take him just more than a month to agree on how he should be compensated for his unbeaten five-start performance for the 49ers in 2017.
Negotiations on a long-term contract between Garoppolo’s representatives and the 49ers have gained “significant momentum,” and an agreement could be reached in the “near future,” NFL Network reported Sunday. There reportedly is “work to be done over the next several days” to complete a deal that would make Garoppolo among the NFL’s highest-paid QBs.
On Wednesday, 49ers general manager
John Lynch had struck a positive note when discussing the talks of a long-term contract.
“I can tell you we’ve had productive conversations and remain very optimistic,” Lynch said on KNBR. “I think the most important thing in a deal like this is … we want Jimmy very much to be our franchise quarterback for years to come, and Jimmy wants that very much as well. To me, that makes too much sense not to happen, and so we’re going to continue working.”
It was five weeks ago that the 49ers ended a 6-10 season that was capped by Garoppolo’s 5-0 run.
In his five starts, Garoppolo, 26, completed 118 of 176 passes for 1,542 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions to lead the 49ers to as many wins as they had managed in their previous 34 games dating to November 2015.
Garoppolo, who was acquired from the Patriots for a second-round pick Oct. 30, is 7-0 in his career as a starter, making him one of seven quarterbacks to win his first seven starts since 1970. Garoppolo’s 2,038 yards passing in his first seven starts rank fourth in the NFL since 1970.
Despite Garoppolo’s performance, there was thought the 49ers wouldn’t be able to reach a long-term deal until the quarterback market settled this offseason.
On Tuesday, Washington traded for Kansas City’s Alex Smith and the two parties reportedly agreed to a fouryear, $94 million contract extension that includes $71 million in guarantees. Smith’s $23.5 million average salary per year would rank sixth among quarterbacks based on last year’s figures, according to overthecap.com.
In addition, the trade means Washington’s Kirk Cousins is likely to become an unrestricted free agent. As such, he could inspire some pricey competition between a host of QB-needy teams.
On Wednesday, Lynch was asked whether the 49ers might need to let the market settle before signing Garoppolo.
“I think our discussions and our work with Jimmy is going to be unique to us,” Lynch said. “Obviously, there’s a market, and all those things are taken into account. But our situation is going to be unique. … I stand by my earlier comments that we’re hopeful and confident, but also patient and working through this.”
If the 49ers can’t reach an agreement with Garoppolo by March 6, the deadline for signing players to a one-year franchise tag, they could tag him for about $23.5 million in 2018. They still would have until July 16 to work out a multiyear contract.