San Francisco 49ers Sign Josh Rosen on Short-Term Deal; What Does this Mean for Jimmy Garoppolo?

Kyle Shanahan-led San Francisco 49ers endured a tough outing in the NFL this season. The Super Bowl LIV runner-ups finished at the bottom of NFC West behind the Arizona Cardinals. They were hit a chunk of injuries to star players in Week 2 itself against the New York Jets at the MetLife Stadium. The likes of Nick Bosa, Raheem Mostert, and QB Jimmy Garoppolo all suffered nasty knocks during that encounter.

Bosa was ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear. But Jimmy G also suffered a high-ankle sprain. That was the beginning of a very tumultuous season for the former New England Patriots quarterback. In 6 games, Garoppolo threw for just 1,096 yards with 7 passing TDs against 5 interceptions.

Backup QBs Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard featured for much of the season for the Niners. But they brought in former first-round pick Josh Rosen towards the end of regular season.

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Will Jimmy Garoppolo start for San Francisco 49ers in 2021?

The 49ers signed Rosen off the Buccaneers’ practice squad in December 2020. He spent the rest of the 2020 regular season with San Francisco. But they’ve now revealed that Rosen signed a one-year deal for the upcoming season. He was a former first-round pick (10th overall) by the Cardinals.

His arrival, along with the presence of Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard, will put pressure on Jimmy G to step up his performances in 2021. But one man who won’t be sweating on Garoppolo’s short-term future.

“I think it’s speculation, I think it’s rumors, think it’s chatter. I think people on social media like to talk about things that I don’t know if they have any idea about. Being in the building, in the locker room, I don’t really hear anything in there. So I’m just confident my quarterback, when he’s healthy, he’s a hell of a football player,” Kittle told AP Pro Football Podcast.

With rumors linking San Francisco with a potential move for wantaway Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson, Jimmy G will be under pressure to step up his game in the coming months.

The 29-year old quarterback has the backing of Niners GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. But if he doesn’t improve his displays in 2021, he might not be around when the season starts in 2022.

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