San Francisco 49ers Acquire Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo Ahead of Deadline

FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 22: Jimmy Garoppolo
FOXBORO, MA - OCTOBER 22: Jimmy Garoppolo /
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Just ahead of the trade deadline, the San Francisco 49ers have acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots.

With the NFL’s trade deadline on the horizon, the San Francisco 49ers completed a deal to get some new blood on the roster. Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, the 49ers sent a second-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for fourth-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo, who turns 26 years old later this week, was drafted in the second round out of Eastern Illinois in 2014, and has played sporadically since. His most extensive exposure came in 2016, when he started two games in place of the suspended Tom Brady. New England won both games while Garoppolo completed 42 of his 59 pass attempts (71.2 percent) for 496 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.

He hasn’t played yet in 2017, but over his NFL career (17 games), he’s 63-of-94 (67 percent) for 690 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

The 49ers are sending their own second-round 2018 draft pick to the Patriots, not the pick they acquired from the Saints during the 2017 draft. So, unless the 49ers experience a miraculous turnaround in the second half of this season, the Patriots have acquired an extremely high pick in the upcoming draft.

Quarterback play has been one of the many major issues for the 49ers en route to a franchise-worst 0-8 start to the 2017 season. Brian Hoyer was signed to a two-year deal this past offseason and began the year as the team’s starter, but struggled mightily while starting the first six games of the year. He completed only 58 percent of his pass attempts for 1,245 yards while throwing four touchdowns and four interceptions. Hoyer was benched during their week six loss to Washington, during which he completed four of his 11 pass attempts.

Taking his place was rookie third-round draft pick, C.J. Beathard. The former Iowa Hawkeye showed some flashes in his first real NFL playing time against Washington, helping spark the team’s comeback in the second half. The rally fell short as they lost their sixth game in a row to open the year, but Beathard completed 19 of 36 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown.

Beathard has started San Francisco’s last two games, and really struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles in week eight. He completed less than half his pass attempts (17-of-36) for less than 10 yards per completion (167 yards on 17 completions), and two interceptions. Over the past two weeks, Beathard has been sacked nine times, but has also run for 70 yards on 11 attempts (6.4 yards per).

To make room for Garoppolo on the roster, Hoyer has been released from his contract.

Of course, this isn’t a quick fix for the 49ers. Garoppolo will need time to learn head coach Kyle Shanahan’s system and playbook, and the team’s offensive line will have to get better. The offensive front has already given up 27 sacks this year, second only to the Indianapolis Colts, who’ve allowed 33.

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It’s a question if the team will have either of their starting tackles in the immediate future, as well. Left tackle Joe Staley, a five-time Pro Bowler and one of the few true stars on the team, has an orbital fracture that won’t require surgery, but is still expected to miss a few weeks. Right tackle Trent Brown missed the Eagles’ game with a concussion, and is still listed as questionable. Backup tackle Garry Gilliam would be the next tackle in line to play, but he injured his knee on Sunday and his status is up in the air as well.

Also, there’s no guarantee this will be a long-term pairing, either. Garoppolo is set to become a free agent after this season, though with the 49ers giving an early-round draft pick away to get him, one would figure that they will be willing to pay him this offseason if things go well the rest of the year.

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The 49ers are taking a risk by trading for Garoppolo at this point, gambling that he can prove he’s the answer at quarterback in such a limited amount of time. If he does, that makes the future a little brighter. If not, that’s one less draft pick for the team.