The San Francisco 49ers are in a much different situation this season compared to last.
Because instead of having Jimmy Garoppolo lead them to a Super Bowl berth, there's speculation about whether the quarterback even will return to the team.
Since coming into the NFL in 2014, only once has the 29-year-old started more than six games in a season. While he's 22-8 as a starter with the 49ers, he's missed a whopping 22 games in the last three seasons.
But while head coach Kyle Shanahan wants to improve the team in every area, he doesn't necessarily want to replace his QB1.
"Yes, I do believe Jimmy is going to be our quarterback next year," Shanahan on Monday told reporters, via Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams.
"We better have a very good answer if you're going to find something better than that because Jimmy's shown in one year that he's a guy that can take us to the Super Bowl, and I also think Jimmy's going to get a lot better the more he plays."
Garoppolo has two years left on his contract that'll make him over $24 million each season.
We'll see if the 49ers actually keep that deal on their books next year.
