It is not a simple task assessing where Jimmy Garoppolo stands among NFL quarterbacks heading into the 2018 season. The 49ers won five straight games to close last season after Jimmy G moved into the starting lineup, and early in the offseason he signed what was very briefly the biggest quarterback contract in the NFL.
We know most of the top names, and we know some of the bad quarterbacks, but anything after the top five or six can be tough to sort out. Recently, Philadelphia Eagles beat writer Eliot Shorr-Parks took a stab at ranking NFL quarterbacks based on which teams are best set up for the future with that player.
It is not at all surprising that an Eagles writer would have Carson Wentz at the top of his list. He mentions his ACL injury, but also says he’s looked great this offseason. Make of that what you will. He follows Wentz with Aaron Rodgers, then Russell Wilson, then.....
JIMMY GAROPPOLO!
Indeed, Shorr-Parks has Jimmy G as the No. 4 quarterback on this list. Again, it’s for which teams are best set up for the future. Tom Brady follows at No. 5, but it’s looking to the future. He has this to say about the 49ers and their quarterback:
Some might feel this is too high for Garoppolo, but this list is all about the future -- and the future seems very bright for the 49ers quarterback.
Garoppolo completely turned the 49er season around last season when he stepped onto the field, winning five straight for a team that was 1-10 in their first 11 games. The top quality in a quarterback, especially a young one, is the ability to win games.
Garoppolo has shown he is definitely capable of doing just that.
“The ability to win games” is not exactly an easy thing to assess, but there is something to be said about the 49ers winning streak once Jimmy G took over. Kyle Shanahan’s scheme deserves a ton of credit, but Garoppolo made things happen and deserves some measure of credit.
We might not get the answer to every question, but 16 regular season games (maybe some postseason?) will give us a much better idea of just how this might play out. Predicting future Super Bowls is difficult given the random nature of the playoffs, but we’ll have a much better idea of what he brings to the table. He has looked good thus far, but it has been a small sample size. A single season isn’t the be-all, end-all for answers, but it will give us a much better picture.