Christian McCaffrey says Jimmy Garoppolo ‘is a great leader’ and ‘doesn’t get enough credit’ for 49ers success
Jimmy Garoppolo’s time with the San Francisco 49ers has been a rollercoaster: from his 5-0 start with the team after being acquired in a midseason trade from the New England Patriots in 2017 to tearing his ACL and missing all but three games in 2018; the run to the Super Bowl in 2019; missing 10 games in 2020 with an ankle injury; and suffering a sprained shoulder during the team’s run to the NFC Championship Game in 2021 that foiled the 49ers’ attempts to trade him and move on to Trey Lance, the third-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, in the offseason.
However, since 2019 first-team All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey joined the 49ers starting lineup in Week 8 following a trade with the Carolina Panthers in exchange for four draft picks, Garoppolo has been on an upswing during the team’s three-game winning streak. The crescendo came Monday when he tied a career-high with four passing touchdowns in San Francisco’s 38-10 over the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City. McCaffrey co-leads the team in catches (21) with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk while totaling 185 yards and a touchdown since joining San Francisco in Week 7. The do-it-all running back has also totaled 209 yards and a couple scores on the ground since coming to the Bay Area.
“He is such a talented quarterback,” McCaffrey said, via NBCSportsBayArea.com. “He doesn’t get enough credit in my eyes, at all. He is a great leader, super smart, can make make any throw and just a great guy to be around. It’s been a lot of fun to be able to pick his brain and mesh with him.”
Jimmy Garoppolo since Week 8 (when Christian McCaffrey joined 49ers starting lineup)
| W-L | 3-0 | T-1st |
| Comp Pct | 73.2% | 3rd |
| Pass Yards/Att | 8.6 | 3rd |
| TD-INT | 6-0 | T-1st |
| Passer Rating | 123.2 | 2nd |
In a contract year, the 31-year-old quarterback is playing some of his best football in 2022, ranking ninth in completion percentage (67.0%), fourth in passing yards per attempt (8.1), sixth in touchdown-to-interception ratio (15-4) and fifth in passer rating (104.1).
“He’s a baller, man,” 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said, via NBCSportsBayArea.com. “I don’t know why that’s ever even been in question. Every time you see the man, all he does is win. I love Jimmy to death. He is such a great teammate, such a great dude. Just hate to see him get slighted all the time because I feel like he is such a good talent, such a good quarterback. He’s the main reason why we are playing so well.”
Sitting at 6-4 atop the NFC West with a head-to-head win against the Seattle Seahawks, also 6-4, the 49ers have all of their 2022 season goals in front of them thanks to a quarterback they very recently tried to give away.
