The focus around the San Francisco 49ers’ disappointing loss in Super Bowl 54 against the Kansas City Chiefs was Jimmy Garoppolo’s job status. There hadn’t been any significant dialogue that he was on the hot seat, but Garoppolo’s tenure with the 49ers had become a constant question after the season. It had led to the growing talk that Tom Brady could uproot him from the spot and sign with the team in free agency. That never came to fruition, but it’s something that the 49ers quarterback has finally come out to address.

Tom Brady to 49ers rumors

The chatter around Tom Brady’s free agency flowed throughout the 2019 season as he continually voiced that he was uncertain about his future with the New England Patriots.

That talk only grew louder after the Patriots were ousted in the wildcard round against the Tennessee Titans that saw Brady voice that he would exercise his options in the offseason. That immediately put the 49ers on the table, given that he grew up a fan of the team with Hall of Famer Joe Montana being his favorite player. It put that dialogue around Jimmy Garoppolo’s job status in the weeks heading into Super Bowl 54.

The notion was that if Garoppolo struggled, it could open the door to San Francisco, replacing him with Brady in free agency. That chatter remained well into the offseason up until the 42-year-old inked a two-year, $50 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s now something that Garoppolo has come out to discuss.

Jimmy Garoppolo Finally discusses Tom Brady rumors

Throughout the process, the 49ers continued to voice their public support for Jimmy Garoppolo as their long-term future under center.

However, it was something that Garoppolo recently revealed to Matt Barrows of The Athletic that head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were quite vocal and honest to him about the entire situation.

“The one thing I can say about the whole situation was Kyle and John were very honest with me the whole time,” he said. “That’s their job — to put the best team together possible and you’ve got to respect that. So as long as the honesty and truthfulness is there, I respect those guys, I love those guys. And it’s going to be a fun year this year.”

The 49ers did at least kick the tires on the possibility of bringing in Brady, but it wasn’t something they pushed hard to make happen. The team has been quite comfortable with Garoppolo being their future at the helm of the offense.

Beyond that, the 49ers’ transparency with 28-year-old made it evident that they are confident in his ability to lead the team to tremendous success. It’s on him to prove their belief right in 2020 and beyond.

Jimmy Garoppolo has extra motivation to prove himself

The 49ers are incredibly confident with Jimmy Garoppolo leading the charge, but that doesn’t mean that they could move off him if things don’t wind up as hoped.

Garoppolo has proven to be more than a capable starting quarterback, and he has brought stability to the position while helping make the team into a powerhouse. The fact of the matter is that his contract proves to be quite a team-friendly over the final three years of the deal. He’s set to be a $19.9 million dead cap hit in 2020, but that drops to $2.8 million in 2021 and $1.4 million in 2022.

That could open the door for the franchise to move in another direction if Garoppolo struggles or another prominent quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers becomes available. The pressure is on him to prove he is the answer under center to guide the team to their sixth Super Bowl win.