Jimmy G. is now Richie Rich by reaching record deal with 49ers.
49ers show faith in QB with a record-setting $137.5 million contract
SANTA CLARA » Jimmy Garoppolo’s record-setting deal comes with a sticker shock, and it’s one the 49ers are wisely willing to pay.
Franchise quarterbacks don’t come cheap, if you’re lucky enough to find one, and the 49ers reportedly will pony up a NFL-record $27.5 million per year to Garoppolo over the next five seasons.
Garoppolo agreed Thursday to a fiveyear, $137.5million contract that is guaranteed to pay $90 million over its first three years, according to ESPN. The 49ers have scheduled a news conference for Friday at 11:30 a.m..
“If I had $136 million, I would have given it to him,” 49ers icon Steve Young said from the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm. “With guys you think can win championships, you’ve got to get them locked up and pay the market (rate) — that’s how it works.”
Garoppolo relayed his excitement Thursday with an Instagram picture of him celebrating a 49ers touchdown last season, captioning the photo: “Mood.”
The contract is a whopper, but it falls in line with a booming market for quarterbacks. Several of them, including Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, will be getting new deals this offseason and they likely will push Garoppolo down the list of highest-paid players..
“The franchise is in good hands with him at the helm,” left tackle Joe Staley told Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Young agreed, pointing to Garoppolo’s apprenticeship under Tom Brady for
3 seasons. The Patriots traded Garoppolo to the 49ers on Oct. 30 for a second-round draft pick.
“He’s been trained well and knows what you have to do to be great,” Young said. “So I don’t think we’re going to see any big drop in what you saw this year.”
Garoppolo, 26, has only seven career starts in four seasons, but he’s 7- 0. That includes a 2- 0 debut in place of Brady to start the 2016 season, and a 5- 0 flurry in December to transform a 49ers franchise that opened 0- 9 and 1-10 behind Brian Hoyer and C. J. Beathard.
At an annual average salary of $27.5million, Garoppolo will supplant Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford ($27 million) as the league’s highest-paid player.
“This is a big brick Faithful!” general manager John Lynch wrote on Twitter in reference to the team’s “Brick-by-brick” motto. “Congrats to Jimmy and his family!”
The deal came ahead of free agency next month, as well as the franchise-tag window from Feb. 20 to March 6, which would have given Garoppolo a one-year tender of about $23.5 million.
Instead, Garoppolo moved into this neighborhood: Stafford (five years, $135 million; $92million guaranteed); Andrew Luck (five years, $123 million; $87 million guaranteed) and the Raiders’ Derek Carr (five years, $122 million, $70 million guaranteed).
One of Garoppolo’s predecessors with the 49ers, Alex Smith, will serve as another measuring stick. Once Smith’s trade to Washington is official, he will have a four-year deal worth $94 million, $71 million guaranteed.
“As the year goes on, obviously this is going to progress,” Smith, also at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, said of the financial windfall for quarterbacks. “The cap keeps getting bigger. It’s just the nature of this, and you’re going to continue to see it.”
Garoppolo earned $3.5 million his first four seasons from his rookie contract. He also cashed in with a $135,000 cut fromthe Patriots’ playoff bonuses this past month.
Settling their quarterback situation allows the 49ers to fill other needs in free agency, which opens March 14, as well as in the draft April 26-28.
Still high on the 49ers’ priority list are cornerback, edge rusher, wide receiver, offensive linemen and running back, especially if they don’t re-sign center Daniel Kilgore and running back Carlos Hyde.
Kilgore rejoiced over Garoppolo’s deal, stating: “Very well deserving to a guy who has proven to be a winner and leader! Exciting time for the Niner Faithful.”
“Jimmy really gave us that spark at the end of the year,” Staley told Sirius XM NFL Radio. “Everybody’s confidence level in him rose as the season went on. Their play rose as well.”
Garoppolo is the only quarterback in 49ers history to start 5- 0. His 1,542 passing yards were the most by a 49ers quarterback through five starts. The only other NFL quarterbacks since 1970 to go unbeaten through seven starts are Ben Roethlisberger (15; 2004 Steelers) and Mike Tomczak (10; 1986-87 Bears).