San Francisco 49ers star Jimmy Garoppolo sent a message of support to fellow quarterback Trey Lance after the sophomore suffered a season-ending injury against the Seattle Seahawks.
Sunday must have been a bittersweet day for Garoppolo, the former starter for the 49ers. He was replaced by Lance after San Francisco opted to use the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select the 22-year-old.
After starting during the opening week loss to the Chicago Bears, Lance suffered a broken ankle injury in the opening minutes of Sunday's game against the Seahawks that will see him ruled out for the rest of the season. Garoppolo was able to steady the ship and lead the 49ers to a 27-7 win at Levi’s Stadium - and he will be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2022 season.
While Garoppolo will undoubtedly be pleased to be back on the field under centre, he understands the frustration of suffering injuries. The veteran has missed plenty of time since leaving New England for the Bay Area and his health was likely a reason why Lance was drafted in the first place.
Speaking to media, Garoppolo acknowledged his own injury history and sent a message of support to Lance. He said: “Feel terrible for Trey. I’ve been on that side. This league is tough and everyone has their share of injuries, but that sucks for him. Feel bad for him but he’s our brother and we’ll pick him up.”
The 49ers are a known entity with Garoppolo on the pitch as he has led the franchise to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance in the last three years. Garoppolo - who finished with 154 yards and a touchdowns against the Seahawks - obviously feels for his teammate, but he enjoyed a fine monetary boost of $350,000 (£306,000) for his appearance.
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Garoppolo signed a restructured deal to stay in San Francisco, cutting his base salary from $26.6million (£23m) to $6.5m (£5.7m) in a deal rich in incentives. These appear set to be triggered following Lance’s injury on Sunday.
By playing 25% of the offensive snaps and winning the game, Garoppolo secured $250,000 (£218,706) and $100,000 (£87,482) respectively via incentives - and will continue to do so each week provided he remains healthy while winning matches. Garoppolo played 79% of Sunday's snaps after Lance exited the game in the first quarter.
Garoppolo couldn't hide his glee when asked about the bonuses after the match. "Now that you've said it, it feels good," he laughed. "I don't know, you don't think about that stuff when you're out there. You're in the game, flowing with the game, trying to get guys ready, I was sort of in that mode. But yeah, it's a nice positive.
Lance had surgery on Monday as his road to recovery begins. Garoppolo will try to lead the 49ers to their second win of the season when the team travels to Denver to face the 1-1 Broncos.
