On a fateful afternoon in late November of last season, Jimmy Garoppolo took the field for the first time as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, with 1:07 remaining in a game against the Seattle Seahawks. It took two plays for Garoppolo to toss his first TD pass, and claim the job as the team’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. The 49ers would not lose again in 2017, putting together five consecutive wins with Jimmy G calling the shots.
Then-Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman wasn’t on the field for that game, having ruptured his Achilles two weeks prior. But Sherman, like the rest of the league, was impressed by what Garoppolo was able to do once he took over for C.J. Beathard. So much so, that Sherman decided to unexpectedly sign with the 49ers this offseason.
“I wouldn’t have signed with the team if I didn’t believe in him,” Sherman said in an interview with NFL Network. “I watched his film. I watched how he moved down the stretch, I watched how poised he was. I had conversations with his teammates, I had conversations with the head coach about how they coach him, about how he approaches the game. And just seeing his demeanor and seeing how he interacts with his teammates, I think I made a fantastic decision (to join 49ers). I’m excited to see him go out there.”
Sherman, 30, signed what is technically a three-year deal with the 49ers, but is actually a one-year deal in a practical sense, with the veteran cornerback guaranteed just $7 million of the $27.1 million contract, all of which will be paid out in the first year. Earlier this week, Sherman said he’ll be ready for training camp in July.