Published 18:14 IST, January 29th 2020
Super Bowl 2020: The 10-minute call that brought Jimmy Garoppolo out of Tom Brady's shadow
Jimmy Garoppolo was in the middle of his fourth season as the understudy to Tom Brady when a 5 am call from Bill Belichick to Kyle Shanahan changed his destiny.
Placing a finger on the pulse of the Super Bowl heartbeat would reveal a thundering rhythm as we enter into the business end of the Super Bowl week. For the first time since Super Bowl XLVII, two quarterbacks will make their first start in a Super Bowl game in the form of Patrick Mahomes and Jimmy Garoppolo. Yet, Jimmy Garoppolo already has two Super Bowl rings to his name, without making a single pass in a Super Bowl game. Garoppolo spent almost all his time at the Gillette Stadium as the heir apparent to Tom Brady but risked being a perennial understudy to arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. This was until a 10-minute deliberation changed the course of his destiny.
Super Bowl 2020: What could have been for Jimmy Garoppolo
Back in October 2017, the 49ers were in the middle of what seemed to be a long road back to stability. With Kyle Shanahan in his first year at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers got off to a rough start, going 0-8 by the end of October. With Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers eerily close to hitting rock bottom, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick came to their rescue. Up until then, Jimmy Garoppolo served as an understudy to Tom Brady, who was showcasing an almost Benjamin Button-esque ability to defy old age. With Garoppolo nearing Free Agency, Bill Belichick decided to trade him instead, and Kyle Shanahan was his first call.
In an interview with Tim Kawakami, Kyle Shanahan said that Belichick called him up after they lost to the Eagles in unconvincing fashion. He then offered to trade Garoppolo to the 49ers for a second-round pick. At 5:00 am that morning, Shanahan went over Belichick’s proposal with General Manager John Lynch. A 10-minute discussion followed, the result of which was a hurried, but carefully deliberated decision to move for Garoppolo.
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Jimmy Garoppolo's Super Bowl journey could come full circle at Super Bowl 2020
While Jimmy Garoppolo was on the 49ers radar long before October 2017, Kyle Shanahan had his eyes set on a quarterback he was more familiar with – Kirk Cousins, who was then plying his trade in Washington. Shanahan was hugely impressed with Cousins during his time as the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. Cousins was also due to be a free-agent quarterback the following year. However, the timing of Bill Belichick’s sudden ‘deal or no deal’ proposal, combined with the fact that Shanahan worked out Garoppolo before the 2014 draft when he was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator meant that Garoppolo would ultimately move to the 49ers. This would then lay down the foundation for what could, quite possibly, be a Super Bowl-winning outfit this weekend. Following the arrival of Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers went on to rope in Dee Ford and Nick Bosa. Bosa and Ford have led arguably the most watertight defence this season.
In essence, Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch have neared the completion of their rebuilding project. In Garoppolo, Ford and Bosa, the 49ers have a core that could go some way in providing some stability to their ambitions in the coming years. Were the 49ers to come out on top at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami this weekend, their rebuilding journey will come a full circle.
Updated 18:14 IST, January 29th 2020