Heading into the upcoming offseason, the San Francisco 49ers have repeatedly made it clear that their priority is working out a new deal with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Per Marc Sessler of The NFL Network, general manager John Lynch once again voiced that same sentiment, stating that the 49ers are aggressively working to hammer out a lucrative deal.
#49ers GM John Lynch to @Alex_Flanagan on Jimmy Garoppolo: 'We're working hard' to get him signed. Says both sides want it to happen. Calls Jimmy G a 'game-changer.'
— Marc Sessler (@MarcSessler) January 24, 2018
In his short time with San Francisco, Garoppolo made a tremendous impression on the organization this past season. The 26-year-old led the 49ers to wins in each of his first five starts while passing for 1,542 yards, which is the most by a quarterback in franchise history over that span. He also became the first 49ers quarterback since 1970 to win each of his first three road starts.
The 49ers do possess the option of placing the franchise tag on Garoppolo, allowing them to keep him under contract for at least another season. It could also be used as a placeholder to work out a new long-term deal with the deadline on July 16th at 4 p.m. ET. The window for using the tag ranges between February 20th through March 6th.
These contract negotiations could foreseeably see Garoppolo command a deal that puts him among the highest-paid players at his position next season. It should also be a swift process, as San Francisco doesn't have any financial constraints with their salary cap space projected to be more than $100 million.
Garoppolo has worked himself into a promising situation, providing the Niners organization a renewed sense of optimism. He quickly demonstrated the ability to become the 49ers' franchise quarterback for the next several seasons.
Lynch has made it clear that he plans to use the offseason to build the team around him, adding more skill-position players in either the NFL Draft or through free agency.
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