Tiki believes 49ers moving on from Jimmy G would be ‘mistake’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers’ quarterback situation has been a topic of heavy speculation this offseason.
Jimmy Garoppolo is signed for the next two seasons, but that hasn’t stopped the 49ers’ connections to players like Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford at various points throughout the offseason.
Former NFL running back Tiki Barber weighed in on Jimmy G and the 49ers during Monday’s CBS Sports Network broadcast of “Tiki and Tierney,” warning the Niners that the grass might not be greener on the other side.
“ ‘I’m going to dime the ball all over the field and make these great throws, lift us and make our less-than-Pro-Bowl players better,’ I don’t see that in him,” Barber said. “Maybe that’s because I haven’t seen him enough consistently, especially over the last two years.
“But with all that being said, I think it would be a mistake for the 49ers to flippantly move on with him and try to replace him with someone else. I don’t think that replacement is easily found.”
Barber’s take is a nuanced one, as he clearly isn’t sold on Garoppolo. But he realizes that the 49ers already missed out on Stafford, who probably was the most obtainable upgrade over Garoppolo this offseason. With Stafford’s reported return including Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder, the market might be too expensive for the 49ers to tap into.
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As Barber noted, Garoppolo has had injury problems, playing in just 25 of 48 games the last three years. But he’s probably on par with other veterans who could be available, like Derek Carr and Goff.
“Jimmy Garoppolo feels like damaged goods because he’s hurt all the time,” Barber said. “Twenty-three games in three years, that’s a lot of games to have missed if you’re a quarterback in a league where quarterbacks are protected from being hurt.”
Still, it’s a nuanced situation and the 49ers’ best move might be holding on to Garoppolo as their starter next season.
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