With all the “where will Kirk Cousins land” buzz, everyone forget about Jimmy Garoppolo. Well everyone except John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. Breaking today; the 49ers and Garoppolo have agreed to a five year, $137.5 million dollar deal according to reports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Garoppolo will make almost $90M in the first three years of the deal.
When 49ers' QB Jimmy Garoppolo's 5-year deal gets finalized shortly, it will include the largest three-year cash total for a new contract in NFL history, just shy of $90 million, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 8, 2018
With the long-term deal, Garoppolo will make an average of $27.5M per season, the highest in NFL history. According to reports, Garoppolo with have $74M fully guaranteed.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s deal with the #49ers averages a league-high $27.5 million over five years with total guarantees totaling $74 million, per source.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) February 8, 2018
The $74M guaranteed is the third highest in the league only behind Matthew Stafford’s $92M and Andrew Luck’s $87M. The 49ers now have their franchise quarterback locked up for the long haul and with loading $90M in the first three years of the deal is smart for both the team and Garoppolo.
The 49ers are projected to have $117M in cap space this offseason. Taking advantage of that huge number and front loading Garoppolo’s contract helps the team in the long term. With Garoppolo’s contract descending verse ascending, the 49ers will have more cap space in future years to improve the team around him. For Garoppolo, he sees more money sooner (the $90M in the first three years) and the 49ers can do a better job improving the team around him as his contract winds down.
Another strong point about front loading the contract is it protects both the 49ers and Garoppolo. While many, including myself, think Garoppolo is one of the best up and coming quarterbacks in the league, there are plenty of examples of “one year success” players. If Garoppolo struggles after getting this new deal, the 49ers probably can get out of the deal after the third year, and if Garoppolo suffers a career ending injury, he has $74M guaranteed and more of his money in the front half of his deal.
With the final contract breakdown not public knowledge yet, some of this information could be different than what is reported. While some will question the amount of money Garoppolo is getting with seven career starts under his belt, this is how the quarterback market works. When a team has a guy they view as “the franchise guy”, he usually gets to reset the quarterback market. So Garoppolo’s $27.5M per season will make him the highest paid guy, until Kirk Cousins and Drew Brees sign new contracts within the next few weeks.
In the end this is a win-win for both the 49ers and Garoppolo. Both should be very happy with this deal.
#49erFaithful Get ready to see more touchdowns like this from @JimmyG_10! He's staying in San Francisco with a new 5 year $137.5 million dollar deal with $74 million guaranteed. #NFLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/IZr7Y8QWzD
— Mike Fanelli (@MikeSports22) February 8, 2018
