The San Francisco 49ers committed to Jimmy Garoppolo in a big way Thursday with a five-year, $137.5 million contract. The $27.5 million annual average is an NFL record, and it comes with $74 million guaranteed.
49ers’ deal with Jimmy Garoppolo allows team to move on in 2021 if he struggles
The 49ers protected themselves from the possibility that Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t live up to the hype.
The message is clear: The 49ers want Garoppolo to be their quarterback of the future.
San Francisco is also aware of the fact that it’s basing that hope off a total of seven career starts and just one month for Garoppolo as the 49ers’ starter. If things go south for the quarterback, the 49ers run the risk of sinking the franchise’s assets into a player who isn’t who they thought he was.
But details of the contract released Friday reveal the 49ers will be just fine if Garoppolo falters. Here are the full parameters, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
To translate: Garoppolo is going to cost a ton in the next two seasons, and the 49ers’ hands are tied if he doesn’t live up to the hype. In 2020 — year three of the new contract — Garoppolo will count $32.2 million against the salary cap, and the 49ers could recoup $11.2 million by releasing him.
In 2021, Garoppolo will have a $32.5 million hit, and the 49ers will have a chance to save $18.5 million by cutting him. Then it’s a $32.6 million hit in the final year with the opportunity to save $25.6 million by parting ways.
Essentially, the 49ers gave Garoppolo a three-year deal with two option years they can choose to pick up if the quarterback continues to play the way he did in Dec. 2017.
It’s expensive early, but the 49ers have more than enough cap space to spare. The contract’s grade will ultimately depend on how Garoppolo performs — after all, the Texans aren’t getting much applause for signing Brock Osweiler, no matter how well they protected themselves. But San Francisco is in good shape for the future.
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