49ers ‘liberated’ by Garoppolo deal

Spending $137.5mn is, apparently, a liberating experience.San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch should know. The 49ers signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year, $137.5mn contract last month following a five-game run to finish the 2017 season.After being rebuffed in a trade bid by the New England Patriots “before we could even ask” last spring, the 49ers acquired Garoppolo in October 2017.“Some fortuitous things came our way last season with the trade for Jimmy,” Lynch said. “The best thing about it is now we have him signed going into free agency. That’s attracting a lot of people who want to be a part of us. That’s exciting.”Lynch said adding Garoppolo was “liberating.”“His personality, I think everyone gravitated to,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I thought he was going into a real tough situation. It was hard for me to pull the trigger. You don’t want to put a guy into a tough situation.... We were trying to wait as long as possible.”The wait was worth it for the 49ers. Garoppolo, who went 5-0 in games he started, didn’t want to put the contract talks off.“I wanted to get the deal done as quickly as possible,” Garoppolo said when he signed the contract on Feb. 9. “Having the same common goal really helped, and knowing I really wanted to be here. From the first day I got here I got the acceptance of the players and the coaches, and that’s rare in an NFL locker room. It was an easy decision for me.”Garoppolo had five interceptions but completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,560 yards and seven touchdowns.Part of the plan Lynch brought to the team was to have a franchise quarterback in place by Year 2. Getting Garoppolo midway through their first season could prove to be a franchise turning point.“Last year when we came here, we got to San Francisco and didn’t have a quarterback on the roster,” Shanahan said. “Jimmy was one of those guys going into the last year of his contract everybody knew was a trade possibility.... I think they tried to hold onto it for as long as possible. A few days before the trade deadline it came up, they were trying to improve their team, and fortunately it helped us also.”