To say Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV would be misleading.
Not much has been asked of Garoppolo this postseason. The 28-year-old only threw 27 combined passes over San Francisco’s last two games, including just eight in the NFC Championship Game. Jimmy G is no slouch, but head coach Kyle Shanahan clearly knows his team’s bread is buttered in the rushing game.
Skip Bayless also understands this and in turn believes Garoppolo has a chance to be the Niners’ Achilles heel against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Garoppolo turns in a dud at Hard Rock Stadium, the “Undisputed” co-host wouldn’t be surprised if San Francisco takes a hard look at the quarterback position.
Who could the 49ers target in this situation? Bayless’ suggestion probably won’t surprise you.
“Here’s my final takeaway. If by chance, I’ll knock on wood for the 49ers, if Jimmy G becomes the reason by far that they lose this Super Bowl, if he throws three picks and completely unravels and just looks awful in the face of Patrick Mahomes, I would not be shocked if John Lynch, the 49ers GM, if he doesn’t in the offseason make a play for Tom Brady because it has been written several times that they could get out from under Jimmy G without any huge salary cap hit,” Bayless said on FOX Sports 1, as transcribed by NBC Sports Bay Area.
"If Tom Brady were the quarterback of the 49ers going to this Super Bowl, they would be a 5-point favorite instead of a a 1.5-point underdog. You know it and I know it." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/ok3aSmVgdJ
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 20, 2020
While returning to his roots and quarterbacking a fully-loaded team possibly could entice Brady, it’s tough to imagine the 49ers giving up Garoppolo this early. After all, the 2019 campaign marked Garoppolo’s first 16-game slate as a starting quarterback. The sixth-year pro has flaws, no doubt, but cutting ties with him in favor of maybe a season or two with Brady doesn’t make much sense.
Although the 49ers probably aren’t in Brady’s future, a trek out to California isn’t out of the question. The Los Angeles Chargers seem like a potential landing spot for the 42-year-old, and maybe even the Bolts’ intracity rival, as well.
