On the day his former team gets ready to play in the Super Bowl, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is closing in on a payday. According to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, discussions between the 49ers and Garoppolo have "gained significant momentum, and a deal could get done in the near future."
As his former team plays today, QB Jimmy Garoppolo and the #49ers have gained momentum toward a lucrative long-term extension. Lots of progress https://t.co/ZDij0iFl8B
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 4, 2018
Further reporting from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo indicated that the contract will be a monster.
Something in the area of Derek Carr’s $25m per year was expected to get this thing moving. All sides believed they’d get there at some point with little issue. https://t.co/ZqFr0YWIJC
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 4, 2018
The 49ers are obviously convinced that he is their man over the long-term if they're prepared to give him a contract that pays him in the neighborhood of $25 million per year. They have plenty of cap space to make a deal like that and still have room left over for a major foray into the free-agent market. According to Spotrac, the 49ers will be nearly $120 million under the cap this offseason.
Garoppolo was traded to San Francisco for a second-round pick at this year's trade deadline. He played in six games for the 49ers, going undefeated in five starts while completing 67.8 percent of his passes, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt, and throwing seven touchdowns against five interceptions. The 26-year old has played in 23 games in his career, starting 12, and has a 99.7 passer rating. The sample size there is pretty small, though, as he has thrown only 272 passes in four years.
