Jimmy Garoppolo may have become a Carolina Panther if things had gone differently this offseason. Instead, he will play the Panthers on Sunday for the team that no one anticipated would still have him on board.
“We may have advanced with a few different squads, I believe. Nothing materialized. They were at the top of the list, if not the top couple”, when asked if negotiations for a potential trade with the Panthers in the summer had moved forward, Garoppolo said on Thursday. “Glad things turned out okay. Now that I’m here, my attention is on my squad.”
Naturally, Garoppolo’s options this summer were constrained by his large salary and recent shoulder surgery. With Week 1 starter Trey Lance out for the season with an ankle injury, the 49ers were glad to bring back Garoppolo as a backup quarterback on a lower contract. Garoppolo has now risen to the position of QB1 in San Francisco.
