San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch won’t go into many details, but he will say this: He wants Jimmy Garoppolo to be in the Bay Area for a long, long time.
In his end of the season press conference Tuesday, Lynch was asked about Garoppolo’s contract status and where things stood, and though not necessarily giving a direct answer, he did open up about just how much the Niners want him there.
“Look, we want Jimmy to be a Niner for a long, long time, and that process is going to take place here and we’re eager to get that done, to have the opportunity,” Lynch said, via ESPN.
“We’re going to work hard to try to keep him as a 49er for a long, long time,” Lynch added later. “We’re really happy with the way he played. We think he’s got some abilities that are unique, and we want him here.”
Garoppolo’s highly-publicized trade from the New England Patriots certainly paid off for San Fran once coach Kyle Shanahan elected to finally start the 26-year-old, who went 5-0 in as many starts, with three such wins coming against playoff teams.
Lynch also indicated that he will not be an open book about the pursuit to ink the signal-caller.
“I think one thing that we really believe is that those things should take place between us and his representatives, not occur and transpire in the public,” Lynch said. “That’s the way we’re going to treat that. But you have our assurances and the fans do that we’d like nothing more than to make him a Niner for a long, long time.
While most teams would love to see Garoppolo under center for them next season, it sounds like Lynch and his staff will do everything they can to make sure that doesn’t even come close to happening.
