Former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was always good at blocking out the outside noise, but one comment hit harder than any other.
That's because it came from within the organization that he gave everything to for more than five seasons. And after his final day in a 49ers uniform following San Francisco's NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles back in February, coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if he envisioned any scenario in which Garoppolo would return to the team in 2023.
"No," he replied, firmly. "I don’t see any scenario of that."
Nearly six months later, Garoppolo will be on the same field with Shanahan once again -- this time not in a 49ers uniform. Garoppolo signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in March, but he didn't have to wait long to reunite with his former team.
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As the Raiders and 49ers will hold joint practices Thursday and Friday ahead of their preseason opener Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, Garoppolo sat down with The San Francisco Chronicle's Michael Silver and reflected on his time in the Bay Area. The 31-year-old QB admitted Shanahan's comments hit him differently than any other critical remarks.
"Yeah, definitely," Garoppolo told Silver. "I didn’t see it, no, but someone probably texted me about it. I don’t know if I responded."
Typical.
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During his time in Red and Gold, Garoppolo helped the team reach two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. Sure, it was then-rookie quarterback Brock Purdy who led the team to Philadelphia for the title game in 2022, but Garoppolo stepped up when then-QB1 Trey Lance went down with a season-ending injury.
In 57 games with the 49ers, Garoppolo registered a passer rating of 99.2 with 13,599 yards, 82 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. As the 49ers' starter, he had a 38-17 record and won four of his six playoff games with San Francisco.
Silver asked Garoppolo if his coach's response bothered him.
"I mean, we’re all people," Garoppolo said. "You hear it, things like that. I just try to make the best of the situation. We’ve all been through hard things. In life, things are gonna happen that don’t go your way, and you’ve just got to make the best of it.
"As the quarterback of a team, there are a lot of guys looking at you in that huddle. So, you really can’t show that side of it. You’ve just got to go out there and ball. That’s the part that’s the hardest. But it’s part of the job."
Garoppolo now is focused on the present and the future with his new team, and like he did in the Bay, he hopes to bring winning football back to the Raiders organization.
