Jimmy Garoppolo takes a lot of crap. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is both on the verge of history and unemployment — or at least new employment. Despite going 31-14 as an NFL starter in the regular season and having the 49ers one win from the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, Garoppolo will almost certainly be replaced by Trey Lance this offseason.
Win or lose, 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo is likely finished in San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers traded up to take Lance third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s their future. And it’s hard to see how anything Garoppolo can do the rest of the way — including win the Super Bowl — will change that.
“That is the reality we’re at,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said this week. “It’s been that way for a while, since we made that trade and the more that we all can accept it and know it and not beat around the bush, the easier it is to go on with your jobs.
“And that’s what we’ve all done and we’ve all enjoyed each other as people, we all respect the hell of each other in our profession,” he continued. “I think it’s just allowed everyone to move on and be themselves. And I think throughout the year, that’s allowed him to get better, it’s allowed our team to get better, it’s allowed me to get better and focus on what we should focus on and just trying to be as good at our jobs as we can.”
Don’t feel too sorry for Garoppolo, though. He will be OK. Garoppolo’s earned $114 million in his eight-year career, and there absolutely will be a team that will want him as their starter in 2022 — especially if he has a Super Bowl ring to go with a career 98.9 passer rating.
In fact, simply getting to the Super Bowl a second time would put him among NFL royalty. Only 21 other NFL quarterbacks have started two or more Super Bowls. Of those 21, 13 are in the Hall of Fame, and five more likely will get in once they become eligible.
List of NFL quarterbacks with two or more Super Bowl starts
So who are those other 21? Here’s the list, in descending order of appearances:
- Tom Brady (10). New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Super Bowls 36, 38, 39, 42, 46, 49, 51, 52, 53, 55.
- John Elway (5). Denver Broncos. Super Bowls 21, 22, 24, 32, 33.
- Terry Bradshaw (4). Pittsburgh Steelers. Super Bowls 9, 10, 13, 14.
- Joe Montana (4). San Francisco 49ers. Super Bowls 16, 19, 23, 24.
- Roger Staubach (4). Dallas Cowboys. Super Bowls 6, 10, 12, 13.
- Peyton Manning (4). Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. Super Bowls 41, 44, 48, 50.
- Jim Kelly (4). Buffalo Bills. Super Bowls 25, 26, 27, 28.
- Troy Aikman (3). Dallas Cowboys. Super Bowls 27, 28, 30.
- Bob Griese (3). Miami Dolphins. Super Bowls 6, 7, 8.
- Ben Roethlisberger (3). Pittsburgh Steelers. Super Bowls 40, 43, 45.
- Kurt Warner (3). St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. Super Bowls 34, 36, 43.
- Fran Tarkenton (3). Minnesota Vikings. Super Bowls 8, 9, 11.
- Bart Starr (2). Green Bay Packers. Super Bowls 1, 2.
- Jim Plunkett (2). Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Super Bowls 15, 18.
- Eli Manning (2). New York Giants. Super Bowls 42, 46.
- Len Dawson (2). Kansas City Chiefs. Super Bowls 1, 4.
- Joe Theismann (2). Washington. Super Bowls 17, 18.
- Brett Favre (2). Green Bay Packers. Super Bowls 31, 32.
- Russell Wilson (2). Seattle Seahawks. Super Bowls 48, 49.
- Patrick Mahomes (2). Kansas City Chiefs. Super Bowls 54, 55.
- Craig Morton (2). Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Super Bowls 5, 12.