When the final whistle blew on the 49ers' 2022 NFC Championship Game loss to the Los Angeles Rams in January, many believed it was the last time Jimmy Garoppolo would wear San Francisco's uniform, considering he said his goodbyes in the days after.
However, after having offseason shoulder surgery in March, there wasn't much of a market for Garoppolo and he ultimately took a pay cut to return with the 49ers for the 2022 NFL season. Garoppolo signed on to become the backup quarterback behind Trey Lance, a move that seemed unimaginable last year.
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SIGN UP HERE In an interview conducted before Garoppolo sustained a season-ending broken foot in the 49ers' win over the Miami Dolphins last week, left tackle Trent Williams told NBC Sports Bay Area's Donte Whitner during "Players Only" last week that he believes the 30-year-old was the perfect person to navigate the tricky matter.
"I think we can all give hats off to his character and how he handled this situation," Williams told Whitner prior to the game against Miami.
"Like I said, seeing the people he fought with, bled with the last few years over here conducting business while he has to motivate himself over on the side and still go about it, everything is normal. And he did that. He never made anybody feel any ounce of tension."
While the awkward situation could have created tension in the locker room seeing as how the quarterback who took to the 49ers to NFC Championship Game last season had been replaced by an inexperienced signal-caller, Williams says that Garoppolo never made the team feel uncomfortable over the issue.
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"He never made anybody feel like the elephant in the room or anything," Williams said. "Jimmy is just one of the coolest guys you ever meet, and he was the perfect guy for this scenario, and I think how he handled it and hats off to how he continues to play and how he continues to elevate this team."
Garoppolo took over for Lance, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, so the 49ers bringing him back proved to be a lifeboat for the team once the young quarterback went down.
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Before sustaining his own injury last week, Garoppolo threw for 2,437 yards in 11 games along with 16 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
It's unclear what the future holds for Garoppolo, who is a free agent after the season. But if the 49ers decide to bring him back again, there isn't anyone better suited to handle the situation.