49ers News: Is the Jimmy Garoppolo era over in San Francisco?

Now that it looks like Jimmy Garoppolo could miss a long time, it’s fair to wonder if the number 10 played his last snap for the 49ers. How will the Jimmy Garoppolo era be remembered if this is the case? We asked this question on Oh, Hey There! podcast with Leo Luna and special guest Jason Aponte.

“As far as the Jimmy Garoppolo era is concerned,” Aponte said, “it will always stay on my mind. I’ll stay in this. I understand what’s going on now, but I don’t want to be a prisoner of the moment things happened. 2019 will forever be a season that I will always remember. Obviously you will never forget him because of the way it ended. But he was part of it.

He participated in the revival of this franchise. In 2017, as he was doing what he was doing in those five games, people had the thought that a lot of us had. “Dude, wait till this guy finds out about the offense.” Wait until you put guns around this guy. Wait until he really starts to process everything. Either way, I have no hard feelings with the guy. He resuscitated this franchise a lot for a few years, and I have to give him credit for that. “

Jason is right to bring up the context of Garoppolo’s arrival in 2017. The 49ers were a team that had lost 24 of their last 27 games before their first start to the Bears. Then, all of a sudden, the young and handsome former heir of Tom Brady arrives, and the team wins five straight games to close the season. This injection of hope goes a long way with a fan base that has grown used to losing in recent years.

We all know what followed – injuries and inconsistent play sandwiched around a Super Bowl race in 2019. Personally, what I will remember the most from Jimmy’s time here is how good it is. ‘was polarizing. Few players in franchise history have split a fan base as much as Jimmy GQ has. Colin Kaepernick was undoubtedly polarizing, but it had more to do with reasons other than football than with anything going between the white lines. Garoppolo could cause shock arguments, even after a Week 7 random match.

All told, Garoppolo’s record as a San Francisco starter goes down the history books as 30-14. While there is certainly a lot of context needed to fully explain this record, that stuff tends to wear off over the years. Ultimately I think people will remember that he started the seventh Super Bowl in franchise history and most Sundays played by Jimmy Garoppolo ended feeling great.

How will you remember the Jimmy Garoppolo era in San Francisco? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to download Oh Hey There today! podcast to listen to the full discussion.