Jimmy Garoppolo is now the highest paid player in the NFL but his contract will soon seem reasonable and is a huge win for the San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers locked down quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year contract on Thursday in a deal reportedly worth $137.5 million, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL. Even with free agency and the draft still to come, this is the most important move of the offseason for the 49ers as they now have their franchise quarterback in place and can set about addressing other needs on the roster.
And, while the yearly average of $27.5 million that Garoppolo will receive is the highest in NFL history, it is a deal that may seem comparatively meagre in a matter of a few months. Garoppolo is guaranteed $74 million, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, but his contract is set to be dwarfed by Kirk Cousins when the Washington Redskins quarterback hits free agency.
As the best quarterback on the open market, Cousins is poised to start a bidding war with several teams heading into free agency in need of a signal-caller, and the deal he receives will likely reset the market at the position once again.
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And with Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks both nearing the end of their respective contracts, further extensions likely more lucrative than Garoppolo’s deal will soon be in the offing.
By avoiding having to franchise Garoppolo and getting a long-term deal done before Cousins is signed, the 49ers have, in essence, actually saved themselves some money.
Garoppolo’s deal will look reasonable by the time Cousins, Rodgers and Wilson have all received contracts and, while some may argue $137.5 million is a huge outlay for a player with only seven starts — and just five for the 49ers — to his name, it was clear from those five games for San Francisco that Garoppolo has all the tools to justify such a contract and turn the team into a contender once again.
In leading the Niners to five consecutive wins to end the season, Garoppolo had a transformative impact on the offense, throwing for 308.4 yards per game and averaging 8.8 yards per passing attempt — which was a league-high in the period from Week 13 to Week 17 — as he dismantled defenses, including the much-vaunted unit of the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com, the 49ers scored on 62 percent of Garoppolo’s drives in 2017. His old team, the New England Patriots, were second on 51 percent.
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In short, with Garoppolo at the helm, the 49ers offense became one of the best in the league even with the average skill-position talent they possess. Now they have tied him down to a deal that will soon look like good value and can focus on improving the pieces around him. For a franchise learning how to win again on and off the field, this is another victory.