Jimmy Garoppolo, facing uncertain future with San Francisco 49ers, says emotions

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — As quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo walked slowly to the locker room for perhaps the final time as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, he stopped and embraced general manager John Lynch.

Garoppolo and the Niners’ latest comeback attempt had just been derailed when his last-gasp fling to JaMycal Hasty bounced off the running back’s hands and into those of Los Angeles Rams linebacker Travin Howard.

A dazed Garoppolo hugged Lynch back as the two shared some comforting words following San Francisco’s 20-17 loss to the division rival Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, a defeat that stung all the more because the Niners coughed up a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter much like they did in Super Bowl LIV.

Minutes later, Garoppolo stood in front of the assembled media and elaborated on the emotions of the moment, staring directly into the reality of an uncertain future that likely ends with him playing for another team next season.

“[The emotions] hit pretty hard in the locker room,” Garoppolo said. “I think these next couple of days it will really start to settle in a little bit. Emotions are high after a game win or loss, and it’s one of those things you’ve got to be glad it happened, smile from it, and think about the good things. We’ll see what happens in these next couple days, weeks, whatever, but I love this team. Just the fight and the battle in this team throughout the entire year has been really impressive. I love those guys.”

The opportunity to play one more game with the team that traded a second-round pick for him in 2017 and signed him to what was at the time a record-breaking five-year, $137.5 million contract slipped through Garoppolo’s fingers after another uneven performance in which he offered glimpses of both the good and bad that have marked his tenure with the team.

Garoppolo finished 16-of-30 for 232 yards with two touchdowns and the interception for a passer rating of 87.1. He made some big throws, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle that staked the Niners to that 10-point lead. He also made some mistakes, including missing a wide-open Kittle in the first quarter on a play that might have gone for a long touchdown.

Most of Garoppolo’s damage came from a clean pocket, which he had for most of the first three quarters when the Rams managed just four pressures on 22 dropbacks. But when Aaron Donald, Von Miller & Co. turned up the heat in the final quarter, Garoppolo had few answers.

Garoppolo was under pressure on seven of his nine fourth-quarter dropbacks, going 2-of-7 with the interception. He finished the season with an NFL-high eight interceptions when pressured, including five since Week 18.

After the loss, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan wasn’t ready to issue a goodbye to Garoppolo but instead offered an appreciation.

“I love Jimmy,” Shanahan said. “I’m not going to sit here and make a farewell statement or anything right now. There’s a lot of stuff on my mind. Jimmy has battled his ass off, he battled today and he did some unbelievable things today. I love coaching Jimmy.”

Just how much longer Shanahan will coach Garoppolo remains to be seen. The writing has been on…