Insider: 49ers 'completely botched' Jimmy Garoppolo situation

It became clear coming off the final weekend of August that the Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and any other would-be buyers were not going to send the San Francisco 49ers any noteworthy assets this summer to land veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo before Garoppolo's $24.2 million base salary for 2022 became guaranteed ahead of the upcoming regular season. 

Nevertheless, many were surprised to learn Monday that Garoppolo agreed to a pay cut to remain with the 49ers and serve as the backup behind 2021 rookie Trey Lance, as most expected the 30-year-old would bet on himself via free agency. 

Garoppolo essentially offered a public farewell to San Francisco fans and media members this past February before he underwent surgery on his right (throwing) shoulder in March. He stayed away from the team while Lance served as QB1 throughout springtime workouts and was then listed as the fourth-string option on the depth chart earlier this month as he continued his recovery away from teammates. 

For a piece published Tuesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area explained why he believes the 49ers "completely botched" the Garoppolo situation. 

"The 49ers treated Garoppolo as if he were persona non grata from the opening of training camp," Maiocco noted. "He did not attend meetings. He was not issued updated playbook material. He used the team’s facility to go through his throwing program, and that’s it." 

Maiocco said that "there's little question that Lance, 22, could have benefited from having Garoppolo around a little more," and the 49ers should've known they wouldn't find a trade partner for Jimmy G. by Week 1. 

The worry now is that Garoppolo, who hasn't been a full participant in practices and didn't play during August exhibition matchups, won't physically be ready to fill in versus the Chicago Bears on Sept. 11 if needed.