Things ultimately didn't work out long-term between Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers.
However, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan still thinks highly of his former quarterback, who is now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, telling reporters Thursday that Garoppolo was the best signal-caller the franchise has had since Steve Young.
"I think Jimmy was unbelievable for us. We won lots of games. … Jimmy was unbelievable here. I think he was the best quarterback here in about 20 years since Steve Young," Shanahan said. "Had an unbelievable record and every time he played and stayed healthy, we were either in the Super Bowl or NFC Championship Game.
"I hope no one insinuates I've ever said differently."
Garoppolo spent the last six seasons of his career in San Francisco, though he only played a full season once, which came during the 2019 campaign, thanks to numerous injuries.
When he was fully healthy, Garoppolo went on to put together the best season of his career, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 16 games.
The 31-year-old led the 49ers to a first-place finish in the NFC West and a berth in Super Bowl LIV, where they fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shanahan's assessment of Garoppolo being the franchise's best quarterback since Young might be accurate with the likes of Alex Smith, Brian Hoyer, Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard and Tim Rattay, among others, all getting starts since then.
However, it's hard to discredit what Colin Kaepernick was able to accomplish during his tenure with the franchise from 2011-16, and it's hard not to wonder what he could have accomplished had he not been blackballed from the league for kneeling during the national anthem in 2017 to protest police brutality and racial injustice.
Like Garoppolo, Kaepernick also had a solid career in San Francisco, with his best season coming in 2014 when he completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,369 yards and 19 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 16 games, in addition to rushing for 639 yards and one score.
Additionally, the 35-year-old led the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance during the 2012 season, where they fell to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, and an NFC Championship game appearance during the 2013 campaign, where they fell to the Seattle Seahawks.
Jeff Garcia, who played in San Francisco from 1999-2003, was also arguably better than Garoppolo despite never leading the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance.
Garcia earned three Pro Bowl selections in his five seasons with the 49ers, with his best year coming in 2000 when he completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 4,278 yards and 31 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 16 games.
Although Shanahan labeled Garoppolo the team's best quarterback since Young, it's possible either Brock Purdy or Trey Lance will rewrite that script in the near future.
