Young wants Jimmy G to stay with 49ers for 10 more years

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The Jimmy Garoppolo 2022 Rollercoaster Ride has taken a lot of twists and turns, and the journey is far from over.

But once the 49ers' season is done, they will have to answer a lot of questions surrounding the quarterback position.

Trey Lance, who is rehabbing serious ankle injury, entered the year as the starter and by all accounts, should get his job back when the 2023 season opens.

But Garoppolo's improved play during the 49ers' current three-game winning streak is throwing a wrench into those plans.

If Garoppolo leads the 49ers to a Super Bowl title, do they try to re-sign him? How do they move on from him if he brings the Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay Area? He recently spoke to reporters and said he's only focused on the present, not his future.

But Pro Football Hall of Famer and 49ers legend Steve Young was in Mexico City for the 49ers' beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals last Monday, and a conversation with fans before the game caused him to make it clear that he doesn't want Garoppolo to go anywhere after this season concludes.

"There was a lot of 49ers fans in Mexico City," Young told KNBR's Tom Tolbert and Adam Copeland on Wednesday. "Some flew in and some where down there, they live there. The 49ers ran the stadium and so I saw a lot of the people and they'd yell something to me or say 'Hey,' and then one of the guys says 'Why are you so hard on Jimmy?' And I'm like 'I don't know that I am but thanks, OK.' So I thought to myself, why would he say that? And I asked myself, am I [too hard on Jimmy?] And I think what I've come to the conclusion is, I don't want Jimmy around for a couple more months. I want Jimmy around for 10 years."

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While the idea of Garoppolo sticking around the Bay Area for another 10 years seems improbable, he wasn't supposed to be on the roster this year, if general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan had their way during the offseason. They tried to trade him and when no deal materialized, Garoppolo took a pay cut to remain with the 49ers as Lance's backup. So anything is possible.

But then Lance's ankle injury in Week 2 opened the door for Garoppolo's surprising return as the starter.

After struggling early in the season, Garoppolo has found his groove over the last few weeks. In the 49ers' last three games combined, he has completed 60 of his 82 passes, a 73.2 completion percentage. He has thrown for 703 yards during that span while tossing six touchdown passes. He hasn't been intercepted.

And with the weapons Garoppolo now has at his disposal on offense, Young doesn't see a better situation elsewhere for the 31-year-old quarterback.

"The most exciting thing for me is that I want Jimmy to become the full measure of who he is in this offense because this offense is the best offense in the league," Young said. "If you said 'Steve, go play right now,' not that I could, but 'Go play right now,' and I could pick anywhere. And you'd think, 'Oh, he'll pick the 49ers because he used to play for them.' No, if I could choose somewhere, I would choose here. And so for Jimmy, I know if he could choose, I'll choose for him, there's nowhere else you'd want to be. Trust me on this, James Garoppolo. There's no place that you'd want to be than right here."

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While Young and a segment of the 49ers' fanbase might want Garoppolo around for the rest of the decade, the team might not be able to make that happen, depending on how much he can get in free agency next spring.

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