49ers Officially Announce Garoppolo As Their Backup QB

The Jimmy Garoppolo era has started in San Francisco, but he won’t be named the starter right away. Instead, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the former Tom Brady backup will shift to bench duties behind rookie third round pick, C.J. Beathard, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Gate.

While the news may be a little bit of a downer for 49ers fans trying to get a look at their new signal caller, the move actually is a sign that Garoppolo is learning the playbook rather quickly.

The first-year head coach explained that the youngster’s ability to quickly grasp the offense influenced his decision to make him the primary backup. If Garoppolo had not picked up the offense, Nick Mullens would have been elevated from the practice squad.

“He’s worked real hard at it and I think he’s gotten more comfortable each day,” Shanaahn said. “He’s definitely not there yet, but if that situation presents itself we’ll have a plan to go with him so he (Garoppolo) can function.”

While this is encouraging news about the future prospects of the former Patriots backup getting playing time sooner rather than later, the Niners still won’t guarantee that Garoppolo will actually see the field this season.

Regardless, the team invested a high draft pick in the quarterback with the hope that the recently turned 26 year-old can become the face of their franchise for many years to come.

The former 2014 second round pick was one of the more intriguing options on the QB market over the past few seasons, despite him only appearing in limited action since being drafted over three years ago. Garoppolo has accumulated a 106.2 quarterback rating when on the field, throwing for 5 touchdowns and no interceptions, while also completing a more than solid 67 percent of his passes.