Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has plenty of detractors despite being 5-2 in his NFL playoff career and leading the San Francisco 49ers top two NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance since 2020.
His success as a winning quarterback makes some people scratch their heads and wonder why he gets so much flack. The Niners basically drafted his replacement in Trey Lance and made it clear that the organization had intentions to trade Jimmy G after last season and turn the keys over to Lance. Lance’s slow development and rumors of a market that allegedly doesn’t value Jimmy G that highly, has kept Jimmy G in the Niners organization.
Former Patriots player Martellus Bennett has his own opinion on the matter.
In a recent “I Am Athlete ” podcast, Patriots legend Julian Edelman was asked to read a quote from Bennett in which the tight end obliterated Garoppolo’s NFL “man” card because of an incident that occurred when all three were in New England.
Hey @patriots 🙂👋🏾 Y’all got any space for Jules? @Edelman11 pic.twitter.com/8DcYqDAY0t
— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) June 27, 2022
Bennett called Garoppolo a “b*tch and that “You can’t win with a b*tch for a quarterback.”
Edelman read the entire quote.
“Bro, we lost two games,” Bennett said. “ One of them was because Jimmy Garoppolo was being a b—-. He decided not to play right before the game. Jacoby Brissett came out and played with a f—– up thumb and played his heart out but Jimmy was being a b—- about it all. That’s why you can’t win with a b—- for a quarterback, first of all.
That was the thing with him, he didn’t want to come out and do anything because his agent was trying to protect his body or some s— like that. Which, I can’t fault him for that, but like, you should have made the decision on Thursday. Now, it’s Sunday.”
Then, Edelman offered some insight of his own, basically saying that Garoppolo’s self-centered business moves pissed the team off.
“It was week 3, like the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills or the New York Jets and he hurt his non-throwing shoulder,” Edelman said. “His left shoulder. Jacoby [Brissett] came in and led us to the win and then the next week, [we found out Jacoby tore the ligaments in his thumb against the Week 3 team. So, we went into Week 4 and Jimmy was practicing and decided not to play. Jacoby played with no ligaments in his thumb, which you can’t do as a quarterback.”
“A lot of guys got mad about it. I’m not gonna lie, I got mad about it. I sacrificed my body all day long. I was taking shots for this, numbing up that, ribs, broken ribs, shoulders, etc. I can understand why Marty thinks like that.”
There are always two sides to a story and the Antonio Brown situation that led to him exiting the field in the middle of a game (discrepancies over being asked to play injured and potential bonuses) has shed light on the intricate relationship between players and coaches as it pertains to injuries and potential contracts.
It’s never as clear-cut as it seems, and in this age of mega bucks, protecting yourself against injury before the bag is secured is mandatory. Even if it is self-serving.
The NFL fraternity is small, and reputations grow quickly. Jimmy G’s career is in limbo now and there are plenty of inferior quarterbacks who have no problem finding a new team. Martellus Bennett’s word isn’t law, but Edelman co-signed the sentiment. Despite the narrative that Jimmy G is a cut below the elite signal-callers, it’s strange that the 49ers don’t have quarterback-inept teams knocking down the door to relinquish draft capital in a trade for a proven, winning QB. It’s even stranger that the Niners want to get rid of said QB.
If the M.O. is that he’s going to bow out when you most need him, then the fact that he’s still on the 49ers makes sense. Could that be how most of the league feels about Jimmy G?
