How Jimmy Garoppolo reportedly annoyed 49ers, Raiders

It appears quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo annoyed individuals within both the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders long before he received a two-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's performance enhancing substances policy that seemingly will end his Las Vegas tenure after just one season. 

"Garoppolo had a reputation for being aloof in San Francisco, which would drive detail-oriented coach Kyle Shanahan nuts, particularly when, at points of the offseason, the Niners would have trouble getting ahold of him," NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained in a piece published on Monday. "Some of those problems carried over to Vegas, where a group that knew him, led by (general manager) Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels, had hoped he’d grow out of some of those tendencies." 

It's now hardly a secret that Garoppolo's working relationship with Shanahan took a serious hit after the 49ers spent the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft on quarterback Trey Lance. 

Shanahan ultimately replaced Garoppolo atop the depth chart with 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy, the final choice of that year's draft. 

It's believed one reason Garoppolo joined the Raiders last offseason was that he was familiar with Ziegler and McDaniels due to the time they spent together with the New England Patriots. 

Garoppolo's alleged aloofness aside, Breer mentioned that "there always seems to be something going on" regarding the 32-year-old's health. 

Most recently, injury issues coupled with Garoppolo's poor play made it relatively easy for then-Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce to give 2023 fourth-round draft selection Aidan O'Connell the QB1 gig for over half of the campaign. 

According to Pro Football Reference, Garoppolo would've ended this past regular season ranked 30th in the NFL with a 77.7 passer rating had he finished among qualified players. Across seven contests, he tossed seven touchdown passes and a whopping nine interceptions. 

"I’m not sure he really fits anywhere as a backup," Breer added about Garoppolo's future assuming the Raiders release him before the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, as expected. "You need your backup to be locked in, and you need him to be healthy—and there’d be concerns, again, fair or not, based on his reputation and history in both those areas. That leaves maybe a bridge-quarterback situation or coming in like...Joe Flacco did, as a quick-fix starter in an emergency, as the paths for Garoppolo back into playing in 2024."