Golden Nuggets: Patriots Fall Short of Sixth

While the vast majority of sports and/or advertisement fans had their focus solely on Sunday’s NFL Championship game, many 49ers fans may have had their attention diverted. Word spread like wildfire among sports journalists that an as-of-yet unnamed source had released information that the pending signing of Jimmy Garoppolo had gained notable momentum, and that a deal is imminent.

Due to the anonymity of the source, I’m given slight pause. Considering that the 49ers FO has been consistently tight-lipped this season, and the Garoppolo camp ostensibly has nothing to gain by disseminating this information, the reliability of the report leaves something to be desired. Naturally, over the coming days, I hope to see some solid conspiracy theories come together.

In broader NFL news, the New England Patriots moved into a tie with the Denver Broncos for most Super Bowl losses by an NFL team, with 5. I’ve really got to give it to Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson, who managed to put a backup QB against Bill Belichick & Tom Brady, and outgun them. It’s no small feat, and the rumblings coming out of Foxborough over the offseason should be very interesting. As both of the Patriots’ coordinators are expected to announce moves to different teams shortly, and the oft-debated “Brady and Belichick will retire after SB LII” trope is sure to heat up - as well as the new reports that Rob Gronkowski is considering retirement - the Patriots could quickly be looking at something that dwarfs the widely-considered-worst-of-all-time 2015 San Francisco 49ers offseason.

The season is officially over now, folks! May our mock drafts always be upvoted and our roster free of arrests. The combine is 25 days away, and free agency is 37 days.

On to the good stuff-

Garoppolo nearing LTD | Branch, SF Gate | Inman, Mercury | Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area | Moore, KNBR | Biderman, Ninerswire | Barrows, Sac Bee | Florio, PFT | Rapoport, NFL.com

“I doubt a deal will happen any time soon.” | Cohn, Press Democrat

Super Bowl recap | Wilner, Associated Press | Ratto, NBC Sports | Wesseling, NFL.com