It would be extraordinarily difficult to find a bigger smile on Friday than the one worn by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who credited former teammate Tom Brady while discussing his new record contract with reporters.
‘The way he prepares.’ Brady’s former backup said when asked about the 40-year old’s influence on his own career, according to The Sporting News. ‘That was one thing I picked up from him just being around him for three and a half years. It makes the difference. And week in and week out, to be mentally tough enough to do that and physically tough enough to survive the games, it’s all that coming together’
Garoppolo signed a record-breaking, five-year contract with the 49ers on Thursday that will pay him a reported $137.5 million to keep him off the free-agent market next month without forcing the team to use the one-year franchise tag.
The contract is worth $27.5 million per season and tops the previous record set by Detroit’s Matthew Stafford last year by $500,000 annually. The new deal is guaranteed for a total of $74 million, according to Matt Maiocco of the Bay Area’s NBC affiliate.
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo smiles during Friday’s press conference
Tom Brady (No. 12) and Jimmy Garoppolo (No. 10) walk onto the MetLife Stadium field in 2015
A previous report by ESPN suggested that the 40-year-old Brady felt threatened by Garoppolo, and not wanting to retire or compete with a younger player, he supposedly celebrated when the 26-year old was traded to San Francisco in October for a second-round pick.
Brady has denied this report.
Earlier on Friday, The Boston Herald retracted a report claiming that Brady was prepared to sit out until he received a contract that was comparable to Garoppolo’s.
By Friday afternoon, the only story was Garoppolo, who did not stop grinning throughout the 49ers’ press conference.
‘This is where I want to be,’ the Illinois native said after beating a snowstorm out of Chicago to make it to San Francisco for the press conference. ‘It’s 75 degrees out.’
As soon as he took the field a few weeks later, he immediately turned around a franchise that started the year with a 1-10 record.
Garoppolo took over as starter and led San Francisco to five straight wins to end the season. That solidified the organization’s belief in him and the willingness to offer him the largest average per year contract in NFL history.
‘If you had asked me as a little kid if I thought this was a reality, probably not,’ said Garoppolo, a former second-round pick out of Eastern Illinois. ‘But you always dream about being that NFL quarterback and everything. This is just taking another step in that direction.’
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, left, smiles next to coach Kyle Shanahan
Garoppolo smiles as he walks off the field after the team’s 34-13 win over the Rams
Garoppolo (left with the Lombardi Trophy) won two Super Bowls with Brady and the Patriots
While Garoppolo lacks the track record of the top quarterbacks in the NFL after spending most of his career as Brady’s backup with New England, what he has shown on the field has been impressive.
Garoppolo went 2-0 in New England at the start of the 2016 season while Brady was suspended following ‘Deflategate’
He completed 67.4 percent of his passes this season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season, Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played a full season.
Garoppolo has won all seven starts in his career, including two in New England to start the 2016 season when Brady was suspended for his role in ‘Deflategate.’
Only four other quarterbacks since the 1970 merger won their first seven starts with Ben Roethlisberger the most recent to do it with 15 wins in a row in the regular season for Pittsburgh in 2004-05. Garoppolo’s 2,038 yards passing in his first seven starts are the fourth-most among all quarterbacks since 1970.
Locking up Garoppolo is the first big step this offseason in San Francisco’s rebuilding plan that got off to a strong start last season in the first year under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
The duo took over a franchise in turmoil with coaching changes following three straight seasons. While the season started with nine straight losses with Brian Hoyer and rookie C.J. Beathard at quarterback, the foundation for future success was being put in place.
Now with the quarterback position settled, the Niners can use their hefty amount of salary cap room to fill in the other pieces, including upgrading the offensive line and skilled position players and adding pass rushers and cornerbacks on defense.
49ers owner Jed York (right) now owes Garoppolo (left) a league-high $27.5 million per season
Garoppolo was seen grinning for much of Friday’s press conference in Santa Clara
Garoppolo completed 67.4 percent of his passes this season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating