49ers
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo admitted he played through a ton of injuries this year.
“I can’t believe this s— held up, to be completely honest with you,” Garoppolo said, via Michael Silver. “The thumb, the shoulder … all of it. It was one thing after another. … Every time I threw. It was a lot.”
Garoppolo said no matter what happens this offseason, he appreciates what the 49ers did this year.
“They hit pretty hard in the locker room,” Garoppolo said, via 49ersWebZone. “I think these next couple days it’ll really start to settle in a little bit. Emotions are high after a game, win or loss. 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 of days, weeks, whatever, but I love this team. The fight and the battle in this team throughout the entire year has been really impressive, and I love those guys.”
49ers TE George Kittle said he always had confidence in Garoppolo as the starting QB.
“Honestly, the biggest thing he brings to the table is he’s the calm in the storm,” Kittle said. “Every time you get into a huddle with him, you always believe that you can go score. And I think that’s such a hell of an attribute, because not everybody has that. Sometimes you get in huddles and you don’t really know. It’s nothing against quarterbacks I’ve ever played with, but there’s just a difference. You can just feel that energy from him. And he’s just so confident in us, and his ability. We all believe in him. When he looks at you, you (think), ‘I believe in myself, but he believes in me too.’ And it makes me work a little bit harder.”
- According to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, Garoppolo’s no-trade clause expires at the conclusion of the 2021 league year, meaning San Francisco can trade him without approval this offseason.
- NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports Garoppolo needs surgery on a torn ligament in his thumb, with a recovery period of about four weeks.
- Rapoport notes teams might wait until his thumb is fully healthy to make a deal but he fully expects Garoppolo to be on a new team in 2022 and for San Francisco to shop him to a team that makes sense.
- He adds since Garoppolo is entering the final year of his current contract, a new deal with a new team is also a possibility.
Jimmy Garoppolo
- 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan wasn’t ready to say that QB Jimmy Garoppolo played his last game as a member of the team: “I love Jimmy. I’m not going to sit here and make a farewell statement. Last thing on my mind. Jimmy battled his ass off today. I love coaching Jimmy.” (Cam Inman)
- 49ers LT Trent Williams was proud of how Garoppolo carried himself this season: “I think he handled this season amazingly. Nobody wants to be in the position he was in…I’m proud of him, man.” (Nicki Jhabvala)
- 49ers DB Jimmie Ward said the team had to deal with a lot of adversity this season, and he was proud that they were able to overcome it to make an NFC Championship game appearance: “I can be proud how hard our guys fought. Lot of people counted us out since the beginning of the season. Proud of coaches, how Kyle & Meco mixed things up. ‘Fire Kyle, Fire John.’ We dug ourselves out that hole, ended up in NFC Championship Game. You don’t see that much.” (Inman)
- 49ers TE George Kittle also mentioned that the team dealt with a lot of adversity this season, as was proud with what they were able to overcome: “Never been part of a team that’s gone through so much adversity. Every time I got on social media, people telling us we should fire Kyle, bench Jimmy, change things up. Kudos to our organization for fighting and going back to work.” (Inman)
- Kittle said the team wasn’t able to make enough plays against the Rams’ loaded roster: “This team was gritty, salty, got us into NFC Championship Game and we didn’t make enough plays against a team full of superstars.” (Inman)
Rams
- Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. earned a $750k incentive for the team’s win against the 49ers. Beckham collected $2 million in incentives this month with a chance for an extra $1 million if the team wins the Super Bowl. (Field Yates)
- Rams HC Sean McVay said Beckham brought an edge to the team: “He’s brought such a presence, and really a swag to our team.” (Myles Simmons)
- McVay said QB Matthew Stafford has elevated the team and the players around him: “He’s elevated everybody around us…If you don’t root for this guy, there’s something wrong with you…He embodied competitive greatness today.” (Simmons)
- Rams OLB Von Miller credited the team’s culture and said he’s honored to play for the organization: “The culture here is amazing. We didn’t have anything to do with that…It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of it.” (Simmons)
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