Garoppolo emotional after possible last game with 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said he was emotional in the locker room following Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game - possibly his final appearance with the Niners.
"(The emotions) hit pretty hard in the locker room," Garoppolo said postgame. "These next couple (of) days, they'll settle in a little bit. Emotions are high after a game, a win or a loss. It's one of those things you got to be glad it happened. Just smile from it and think about the good things. We'll see what happens in the next couple (of) days and weeks, but I love this team."
Garoppolo's future in San Francisco became uncertain after the team drafted quarterback Trey Lance third overall in the 2021 draft.
If the loss to the Rams marked Garoppolo's final game in red and gold, he sure wouldn't be proud about it.
The 49ers carried a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles scored 13 unanswered to take the lead with 1:46 left in the game. Garoppolo got the ball back with a chance to tie or win the contest but tossed an interception to cornerback Travin Howard, sealing the Rams' comeback.
The veteran signal-caller, who was 9-6 during the regular season, finished the evening with 232 yards and two touchdowns against one interception on 16-of-30 passing.
San Francisco made the playoffs as the NFC's No. 6 seed despite starting the year 2-4.
"It was a rollercoaster of a year, but we fought through it. We were a resilient team, and that's what good teams do," Garoppolo added.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he isn't thinking about Garoppolo's future with the club at the moment.
"I love Jimmy," Shanahan said. "I'm not going to sit here and make a farewell statement or anything right now, it's the last stuff on my mind. Jimmy has battled his ass off. He battled today, did some unbelievable things today. I love coaching Jimmy."
Garoppolo has struggled to stay healthy since joining the 49ers via trade from the New England Patriots in 2017. The 30-year-old - who helped San Francisco make Super Bowl LIV during the only full campaign in which he didn't miss any time due to injury - is 31-14 as a starter in the regular season over five years with the Niners.
Lance replaced an injured Garoppolo in two games as a rookie, going 1-1.
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