Where will Jimmy G go?

The Handsome One will have many suitors

It’s been a weird year to be a 49ers quarterback.

Say that you’re Trey Lance. You got drafted a year ago and one of the preeminent franchises in the NFL made a statement trade for your rights, shelling out three first round picks for the right to take you third overall. Then, you only started two games your rookie year while you got some seasoning and got mentored by a veteran QB who took the team to the NFC Championship. You started this year ahead of him (for reasons we’ll get to) and two series into your second start, you broke your ankle and were out for the year.

Who came in? That veteran QB Jimmy Garropolo, who was expected to leave via a trade in the off-season but whose shoulder surgery early on left enough questions that by late summer, it just made sense to re-up with the 49ers on an incentive laden deal, ensuring you’d be a free agent after the year. And when Lance went down, you probably played your best ball of your life, getting the team square back into the playoff hunt …until you, broke your foot.

And then, you - the last player drafted in last years NFL Draft, “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy stepped in and you literally haven’t lost a game, and led the league in plenty of critical categories. Your team has rallied around you with praise they rarely gave Lance, and you’ve handled it with grace and poise and you just might be the QB of the future.

What happens between Lance and Purdy is still TBD. I believe at this point, they’ll both be on the roster next year and Purdy will enter the preseason as the starter - though Lance will be given every chance to overtake him in the preseason.

But what of Jimmy G? As it turns out, there are a LOT of teams looking to upgrade at QB this offseason. Some of them will for sure look to the draft to do that, but others are going to be looking at veterans like Derek Carr and Jimmy G. Jimmy has his weaknesses, but there’s a few things he’s really good at - he’s the consummate professional, has been a good mentor to both Lance and Purdy, and his team LOVES him. Oh, and there’s also stuff like this.

That’s from earlier this year when many 49ers went to the Warriors game and the dance team all went out of their way to say hello to Jimmy — and only Jimmy. Yeah, he’s great looking but that’s also a marketable factor for a team in New York or Las Vegas, for instance.

Indeed, there are logical fits schematically in Las Vegas with Josh McDaniels, New York Jets with Robert Saleh and back in New England with Bill Belichick. Heck, if Tua Tagovailoa isn’t exactly right, Jimmy could reunite with Mike McDaniels in Miami. (Though, I can’t think of a team less set up for Jimmy with speedsters Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Still, it could happen.)

The Texans, Titans, Colts, Texans, Commanders, Panthers, Saints, Falcons all could - or should - be trying to upgrade at the most important position in sports. I know there are some saying it would be great for the 49ers if Jimmy re-signed with them. It’s a non-starter because the team will greatly benefit from an inexpensive QB room with Lance/Purdy as they aim to extend Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk.

But realistically, they’ll never be able to match an offer Jimmy will undoubtedly get from a team that thinks it’s not that far away from competing. I think he’s a great fit with the New York Jets, and if I were a Patriots fan, I’d much prefer Jimmy to Mac Jones who just doesn’t have it at this point in his career. I think the Panthers and Commanders have shown that they’ll spend what it takes to get “their guy” and perhaps this time, they’ll make better choices.

If I had to guess, Jimmy will be the toast of New York next offseason. But whatever happens, he’s gonna get PAID. And he’s earned that bag.