Garoppolo appeared in six games as a rookie. He had a 101.2 passer rating and completed 19 of 27 passes for 182 yards and a score. He also had 10 running attempts for 9 yards.
The 49ers selected Garoppolo with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the first quarterback chosen.
Garoppolo didn't start his first game until Week 13, when Brian Hoyer got the win in a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. In that game, Garoppolo passed for 218 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a touchdown.
In 2018, Garoppolo finished with 3,720 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also had 597 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground.
Garoppolo is coming off one of the best seasons by a quarterback ever. The 49ers are hoping he can lead them back to the playoffs after missing out last year. He's still only 26 years old so there's no reason why he shouldn't continue to improve.
From 2010 through 2013, Garoppolo was a member of the Eastern Illinois Panthers. While playing for head coach Bob Spoo, he started eight games, throwing for 1,639 yards and 14 touchdowns and receiving All-Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer Team accolades. The team's record during that time was 7-3.
He entered the 2014 college football season as a top 10 pick in the NFL draft.
Garoppolo played high school football for St. Louis Country Day School in Missouri Valley, Illinois. He attended Eastern Illinois where he started eight games as a freshman before suffering an injury that ended his season. EIU went 6-2 during that season with Garoppolo starting six of those games.
As a sophomore, Garoppolo started 11 games for the Panthers and led them to a 9-1 record. They won their first Ohio Valley Conference title since 2004 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game before losing to South Florida 24-14. As a junior, Garoppolo started 12 games for the Panthers and threw for 2,418 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for four scores. Garoppolo helped lead Eastern Illinois to its first undefeated regular season (11-0) and first No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll.
Garoppolo made his regular-season debut in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 41-14 away defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in 2014. On his debut drive, he led the Patriots on a scoring drive that resulted in his first career passing touchdown, a 13-yard ball to tight end Rob Gronkowski. He ended up finishing 22-of-33 for 240 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
In 2015, Garoppolo started two games before Brady returned from suspension and played well enough to keep him in the starting lineup down the stretch. In those two games, he completed 70 percent of his passes for 754 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Garoppolo entered the 2016 season as the favorite to win the starting job but was beaten out by Brady after he came back from suspension. However, when Brady got hurt again late in the 2017 season, Garoppolo came back and helped lead New England to its first Super Bowl victory over Atlanta. He finished the game 28-of-44 for 314 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Prior to joining the Patriots, Garoppolo spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers as their backup quarterback. He began his NFL career by completing 67 percent of his passes for 1,074 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in nine games (eight starts).
To put things in perspective, in 2017, NFL teams scored on 35% of their drives, while the 49ers scored on only 29% of their drives without Garoppolo. Garoppolo concluded the 2017 season with 1,560 yards passing, seven touchdowns, five interceptions, 11 yards running, and one score. He also had three lost fumbles.
Garoppolo's first season as the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback was a success, as he led them to an 8-7 record and earned himself a $137.5 million contract extension. In 2018, however, he was injured early in the season and had to be replaced by C.J. Beathard, who went on to have a very successful season. As a result, 2019 is Garoppolo's chance to prove that he is still the best quarterback in San Francisco. So far this season, he has been effective leading the 49ers downfield scoring opportunities, completing 9 of 12 passes for 120 yards and two scores. He has also gone over 100 yards passing twice this season.
Jimmy Garoppolo has always been known for his ability to move the ball downfield through the air, and last year under pressure from losing games he proved that he can also lead high-powered offenses when it matters most. With Beathard now out for the season and an unknown at backup quarterback, Garoppolo will have one more opportunity to show why he is still one of the best quarterbacks in football.
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