Visits: 11
The day after that eighth loss, Lynch heard from the Patriots, who were suddenly willing to trade Tom Brady’s presumptive successor for a second-round pick. Garoppolo’s arrival jolted the organization.
“That first day, man, he got in the huddle and he was just so commanding, such a leader, he just took control,” Celek said. “Even Staley, you could just see him in the huddle. He was smiling like, ‘Yeah, this is nice.’”
Garoppolo’s full portfolio, from his comportment to his work ethic to the gravitational pull he had on teammates, convinced the 49ers to do something Lynch said they were not certain they would do when they acquired him: invest in him, for the next five seasons. “Last year was kind of, ‘Learn this by the end of the week and we’ll figure it out on Sunday,’” Garoppolo recently told reporters.
And the 49ers, after Garoppolo had time to immerse himself in Shanahan’s complex system, expect him to thrive.
“How much better’s Jimmy going to be this year after the off-season? Well, I mean, some of the games he played in we had, like, 500 yards of offense. I’m not saying we’re going to have 1,000. I just hope he can repeat that.”
The 49ers will continue to surround Garoppolo with players who fit their culture — “talented guys who work like overachievers,” Shanahan said. Like Sherman, who, once the 49ers’ chief antagonist, has invigorated a fan base conditioned to loathe him.
When Sherman, 30, visited the 49ers, Lynch, a terrific safety for Tampa Bay and Denver, recruited him by drawing on his own experience as a free agent, saying that he wanted to play for a coach who appreciated him as a player and not solely as a presence.