Denver Broncos diving deeper into Jimmy Garoppolo
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo could be an option for the Denver Broncos if they fail to trade for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson.
As each hour passes, I begin to think that both Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are going to remain with their respective teams for 2022. This might open up the option of the Denver Broncos trading for Jimmy Garoppolo.
I want to take a deeper look into Garoppolo, looking at his production in San Francisco, along with his supporting cast to see if he is actually what some say he is.
I am mostly low on Jimmy G as an option, but if the team does end up trading for his services, I am not going to lose sleep.
However, there are real concerns with the player, specifically his injury history and ability to display consistency from week to week.
Jimmy Garoppolo is oftentimes known for making a boneheaded mistake nearly every week, sandwiched in between spurts of elite play. He’s the ultimate rollercoaster, and it’s a valid concern for those who are fans of the Denver Broncos.
So, let’s start by looking at his statistical output.
He’s spent 5 years at a 49er, making 45 starts and going 31-14 as a starter. His win-loss record is excellent.
His on-the-field production in his 46 total games played turned out to be 66 touchdowns against 38 interceptions, along with over 11,000 yards and a 67.7% completion percentage.
If we average out his totals over the course of his 46 career games, this is what a full, 17 game season of production would have looked like from Jimmy Garoppolo.
24.39 touchdowns, 14.04 interceptions, 4,125 yards per season. I understand that passer rating is a bit outdated, but this would yield a 98.1 passer rating, which would put Jimmy Garoppolo around 10th in the NFL for 2021.
OK, so not bad, right? Well, his passing output, is nothing special. Could Jimmy Garoppolo be relied on to go to duel with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in close games? Do we think that Jimmy G is capable of throwing 350 yards and 4 touchdowns in a game if needed?
Statistically, the answer is no.
I want to compound this with the supporting cast that he has had during his stint as a 49er.
Starting with the head coach, Kyle Shanahan, who is highly regarded as a play-caller in the NFL. He’s widely seen as one of the very best in the business, and there aren’t many head coaches who are of his caliber.
His offense scheme is being copied all across the NFL, just as Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme is.
The Denver Broncos are going to run a similar offense with Nathaniel Hackett, so Jimmy Garoppolo would have some flexibility there.
Let’s take a look at the 49ers running game during his tenure, to see how much help he gets from the running backs.
In 2021, the 49ers ranked 7th in total rushing yards, 15th in 2020, 2nd in 2019, 13th in 2018 (the year that Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL), and 21st in 2017, the year he came over via trade before the deadline.
By all accounts, the 49ers have boasted a strong running game during Jimmy Garoppolo’s tenure, ranking as high as 2nd in yards gained.
Let’s take a look at their defense next.
In 2021, they had the 9th best scoring defense, 17th in 2020, 8th in 2019, 28th in 2018, and 25th in 2017.
While their defense has been hit or miss, their 2 good years allowed them to make deep playoff runs, boasting one of the very best overall defenses in both the 2021 and 2019 seasons.
How are they throwing the football?
In 2021, they ranked 12th in yards and 14th in touchdowns, in 2020 they ranked 12th in yards and 19th in touchdowns, in 2019 they ranked 13th in yards and 10th in touchdowns, in 2018 they ranked 15th in yards and 17th in touchdowns, and in 2017 they ranked 9th in yards and 28th in touchdowns.
By most accounts, they have had a middle-of-the-pack passing attack, better than usual defense, and better than most rushing game.
Would the Denver Broncos be able to replicate this as a team? It seems pretty clear that teams can win with Jimmy Garoppolo in a certain way. Historically, he hasn’t been able to carry teams to victory, as it seems more appropriate to say that the team has won WITH him, rather than win BECAUSE of him.
After looking deeper at these statistics, my opinion of Jimmy Garoppolo remains the same. I do not think Denver should trade for him, but there seems to be a clear formula to win with him.