Jimmy Garoppolo

Garoppolo's move was reported on Monday after the legal tampering period began, with ESPN's Adam Schefter suggesting the quarterback has agreed to a three-year, $67.5million deal, including $34m guaranteed.

He is set to replace Derek Carr, who had already left the Raiders to find a new home with the New Orleans Saints.

Garoppolo leaves the San Francisco 49ers after five and a half seasons, in which time he was part of the team that went to Super Bowl LIV and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He was hampered by injuries in San Francisco, however, and lost his place as the 49ers' starter ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Trey Lance was named QB1, although Garoppolo returned to the team on a one-year deal to serve as backup.

Lance soon went down injured, but so too did Garoppolo, giving Brock Purdy the opportunity to establish himself at QB.

With Lance and Purdy set to compete for the starting role in 2023, there was never any possibility of Garoppolo again returning to the 49ers.

Instead, he will team up again with McDaniels, who was his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the New England Patriots ahead of joining the Niners.

Garoppolo only made two starts for the Patriots behind Tom Brady, but he is now in line to be the main man in Vegas, where McDaniels is the head coach.

A moment of silence was held for Bryant at Marlins Park in Miami, where players from both the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs spoke about the NBA great.

The 18-time All Star was killed, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday, shortly before the Niners and Chiefs arrived in Miami.

Here is what some of the leading Chiefs and 49ers players said about Bryant's death.

Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs quarterback): "I wasn't lucky enough to get to meet Kobe. But the impact that he made in my life, it was huge. The way he was able to go about every single day and the work ethic and the intensity that he had to be great every single day. Even to this day, I still watch videos on YouTube the day before games."

George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers tight end): "Other than my parents, he was the reason I played sports. Just his mindset, the 'Mamba mentality'. I wore the number 24 in high school, my freshman, sophomore year, because of him. I wore Kobe Bryant basketball shoes because of Kobe Bryant. Every time I laced up my basketball shoes, I felt like I had Kobe Bryant with me. I had a little part of him."

Richard Sherman (San Francisco 49ers cornerback): "There's not enough words in my vernacular, in my vocabulary, to give him the praise and the respect that he deserves. But he deserves every inch, every ounce of respect, every ounce of gratitude. He gave me a ton of inspiration and I'm sure he inspired millions and millions and trillions of other kids."

Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs tight end): "I had an opportunity to meet Kobe and he's just an unbelievable person. You can't say enough about who he was and his impact and with that, I just feel bad for the Bryant family, everybody involved out there on the west coast. My heart's with you as well as everyone here in America."

Frank Clark (Kansas City Chiefs defensive end): "The one person I looked to for inspiration and all my strength growing up when I was going through the things I was going through was Kobe Bryant. He was a successful guy and that's the one thing you look to. You look at the gangs and you look at the drug dealers and then you look at the guys who are successful."

Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City Chiefs safety):"His will to win was nothing I'd ever seen before. I thought I practiced hard but going through YouTube videos and watching Kobe at practice, he was in a complete different element."

Dante Pettis (San Francisco 49ers wide receiver): "The way he attacked life, there was nothing Kobe couldn’t defeat. He was a hero. A hero in general. In everything he did. It wasn't just sports. He wasn't just a basketball player. Everything he did, he gave 100 percent. That's something I'd like to be able to do. I wanted to live like him."

Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers quarterback): "We were actually on the plane ride in, and someone told me in the seat behind me. Honestly, I didn't even believe it. It didn't register at first. Just so sudden and everything like that. It's hard to accept but just a terrible, terrible tragedy."

Quarterback Garoppolo broke his foot in the first quarter of Sunday's 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and head coach Shanahan confirmed a report from Tuesday that he did not suffer a Lisfranc injury that would require surgery.

Without the need for surgery and without any ligament damage, the timeline to recover from a fractured foot is in the seven-to-eight week range.

It was then being reported that he could be able to return for a Divisional Round game or the NFC Championship game, should the 49ers make it that far.

While his foot may be healed by the middle of January, Shanahan said he is not going to be ready to get back on the field from such an injury. 

'"There's that way outside chance late in the playoffs or something like that,'' Shanahan said on Wednesday. 

"'But it's just an outside chance. I'm not really real optimistic about that. But they didn't rule it out.

"'I know it's a serious injury that will likely keep him out for the year. It's really good news that there's no ligament damage or anything so he'll be fine once the broken bone heals.''

There is also the fact to consider if the 49ers are still alive in the second or third week of the playoffs, that Garoppolo’s replacement, Brock Purdy, is more than likely playing well enough.

After Garoppolo was injured against the Dolphins, Purdy capped his first drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Juszczyk to put the 49ers ahead.

He threw another three-yard TD pass to Christian McCaffrey, and finished the day 25 of 37 for 210 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against a defense that attempted to unsettle him with blitzes.

Purdy, who was the last pick of this year's draft, had just attempted nine passes in his career prior to facing the Dolphins, and now gets a full week of preparation in practice with San Francisco's deep group of playmakers led by McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.

''We're trying not to make a drastic change,'' Shanahan said. ''They have a similar skill set. We got a lot of confidence in Brock. We've seen him in practice. That's why we were confident enough. 

"He hasn't played a ton football, so there is some unknown out there. But we know he's got the ability to do it. We know he's got the mentality to do it.''

The 49ers traded three first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the third overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, which they subsequently used on Lance.

Lance's performances in training camp have only served to increase the hype around the dual-threat signal-caller who has continually impressed in practice.

Yet Shanahan has been similarly pleased by what he has seen from Garoppolo, who helped guide the Niners to Super Bowl LIV, where he was criticised for his part in a fourth-quarter collapse before enduring an injury-plagued 2020.

And the head coach appears to be confident it is the former New England Patriot who will be under center against the Detroit Lions in Week 1.

"I think it's gonna be tough for [Lance] to win the job, just in terms of it being two different styles of quarterbacks and maybe a little different style of offense for both of them,” Shanahan told The MMQB's Albert Breer.

"I'd be very surprised if he did with the way Jimmy's playing. It'd put a lot on a kid to do that.

"He's doing everything he can. I'm very impressed with him so far, but I'd be very surprised if that happened."

However, Shanahan had previously said Lance, whose ability with his legs adds another dimension to the San Francisco offense, would see playing time as a rookie and indicated he could rotate Garoppolo and Lance based on in-game matchups.

"I think I can ride it out week in and week out, personally," Shanahan added. "I think our guys trust us to make the right decision. It's cool being in a building where no one has an agenda, whether it's me, the GM, the owner.

"Everyone's on the same page, there's no pressure – 'Hey, you have to do this or you have to do that'. And our players know that too, that's what's great about our place here.

"When players know you're on the same page with the personnel department, with the owner, then they don't really care. They just want to win.

"And I think when this is all said and done, there's gonna be two guys they believe will help us win and I think they'll trust us to make that decision, whether it's permanently, for one game, for a series or just a situation. We gotta balance that out right, though. It's tough to do, but it is as easy as 'How do you win the game?'

"I really try to keep as simple as what gives us the best chance right now to win. And I think our players trust that I'm like that. I think our quarterbacks trust that I'm like that.

"You can disagree, but it's hard to take it personally when it's like that. I hope we've got the right guys, the right team, and if they both keep getting better, it should be a good problem for me."

Lance, the third overall pick in this year's draft, made his first NFL start on Sunday in the Niners' 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, with Garoppolo on the shelf due to a calf contusion.

The rookie was unable to mark his first full game with a victory, completing 15 of his 29 passes for 192 yards and one interception, which came on his first drive.

But the dual-threat upside that helped convince the Niners to trade three first-round picks to move up in the draft for Lance was on show as he ran for 89 yards on 16 carries.

Lance would have found the endzone on a key fourth down on Arizona's one-yard line in the second quarter if not for a great stop by Isaiah Simmons.

The Niners went one for five on fourth down with those struggles and poor offensive execution from Lance's surrounding cast dooming a San Francisco team that outgained the unbeaten Cardinals 338 yards to 304.

Garoppolo appears on track to return after the Niners' Week 6 bye, San Francisco set to face the Indianapolis Colts at home in Week 7, with Shanahan suggesting he will get the nod under center if he is healthy.

"No, nothing's changed," head coach Shanahan said of the situation at quarterback. "It's just one game. It's one game. It's a tough loss right there, and I'll talk to our whole team tomorrow and think of how we can get our whole team better coming back off the bye."

On Lance, he added: "I thought he did some really good things. It definitely wasn't perfect, which no one ever has been.

"The first pick I thought just sailed on him. He was going to the right spot but it just got away from him on the first drive.

"I thought overall, I think we could've done better around him. I thought he did good enough to win."

"The defense kept us in it, for sure," Lance said. "I mean, the [Cardinals'] offense is very explosive. They make a lot of big plays, and our defense definitely gave us a shot. So, we've got to capitalise, got to do better, make more plays.

"I'm obviously disappointed. I really wanted to win that game. But we'll keep our heads up, learn from it, learn as much as I can, get as better as I can from it.

"I'm super proud of these guys. Defensively, offensively, we competed. How hard these guys played, they battled through a lot, some tough penalties, things like that, but we're going to learn a lot from it, and we're going to be better for it."

New England Patriots quarterback Brady is set to enter free agency for the first time in his career when the new NFL league year begins on March 18.

It remains to be seen whether Brady will ultimately remain in New England or move to pastures new.

However, there is growing talk of the 43-year-old linking up with the 49ers, the team he supported as a boy growing up in San Mateo, 19 miles outside of San Francisco.

Speculation has mounted despite Garoppolo, Brady's former backup in New England, leading the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV - where they suffered an agonising defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs - in his first full season as a starter after they traded a second-round pick for him in 2017.

The Niners' star tight end Kittle made it clear in an Instagram post on Wednesday that he is focusing on another bid for the Lombardi Trophy with Garoppolo under center.

Alongside an image of he and Garoppolo celebrating, Kittle wrote: Let's run it back, 10!," in a reference to Garoppolo's jersey number.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch issued a staunch defence of Garoppolo, criticised for his inability to get the Niners over the line in a Super Bowl that saw them lose a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, at the Scouting Combine last week.

"The most exciting thing about him is the room for growth. He's not come close to hitting his ceiling," Lynch said.

"The room for growth, the more experience he gets in this system, the more experience he gets playing in general, we think the arrow’s up, and that’s a good thing."

At this stage in his career, Brady's room for growth appears limited by comparison and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on Wednesday that he had not been able to "substantiate any interest from the 49ers' standpoint besides saying like, 'Yes, theoretically anything is possible.'"

The Niners' running game came to the fore in the second half, taking the lead for the first time with 7:54 remaining in the fourth quarter after Christian McCaffrey's touchdown.

San Francisco went 12-0 in the second half, turning around a 16-10 half-time deficit, ending the Chargers' five-game streak against them. The win means San Francisco claimed back-to-back victories to improve to 5-4, while the Chargers dip to 5-4 having lost two of their past three games.

The Niners enjoyed more possession, rushing for 157 yards compared to the Chargers' 51, with Elijah Mitchell (89 yards on 18 carries) and Deebo Samuel (27 yards on four carries) contributing well on their returns from injury.

Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed 15 of 23 passes for 197 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, although he ran in a TD late in the first half.

Garoppolo linked up with Brandon Aiyuk, who had six receptions for 84 yards, on a 24-yard pass leading to McCaffrey's decisive rushing two-yard TD.

The Chargers scored on the opening drive of the game when QB Justin Herbert pinpointed DeAndre Carter on a 32-yard deep left pass.

In the final two minutes, a one-handed Josh Palmer could not reel in a desperate fourth-down pass from Herbert, who finished the game on 21-of-35 passing for 196 yards with one TD and one interception, before Robbie Gould made it a six-point game with a 20-yard field goal.

The Cardinals improved their season record to 11-5 and their road record to 8-1, snapping a three-game skid, with Texas-born Murray throwing two touchdowns as he completed 26 of 38 attempts for 263 yards.

The Cowboys had trailed 22-7 at the final charge but stormed back into contention as Dak Prescott threw three TD passes for the game but Murray expertly managed the clock late.

Murray found Antoine Wesley for two TDs including a spectacular catch in the third quarter, while Jonathan Ward made a remarkable helmet catch on a fake punt.

The Cowboys lost Michael Gallup to injury upon his second-quarter receiving touchdown and did not return, not helping their cause.

Prescott, who completed 24 of 38 passes for 226 yards along with 20 rushing yards, found Cedrick Wilson and Amari Cooper for final-quarter TDs to tighten the game but he also had a costly fumble at 22-14.

Chargers snap skid as Williams scores 101-yard return

The Los Angeles Chargers snapped a two-game skid with a 34-13 victory over the Denver Broncos to boost their Wild Card hopes as they improve to a 9-7 record.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw 22 of 31 passes for 237 yards with two touchdowns, breaking the franchise record for single-season touchdown passes at 35.

Andre Williams scored a 101-yard kickoff return touchdown in the fourth quarter, while Austin Ekeler returned to LA's line-up and was important, with 17 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown, along with three receptions for 54 yards.

Lance leads 49ers to key win in Wild Card race

Trey Lance stepped in for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo and provided two touchdown passes as the San Francisco 49ers won 23-7 over the Houston Texans.

Lance completed 16 of 23 passes for 249 yards with the two TDs and an interception to help the 49ers improve to 9-7 in the NFC Wild Card pursuit.

Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell scored the touchdowns as the 49ers scored 20 second-half points to secure the win.

Garoppolo was introduced by the Raiders on Friday after a one-day delay due to some contract details.

In Las Vegas, he reunites with Josh McDaniels, the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator for the first three seasons of his career.

"Oh yeah," Garoppolo said Friday when asked if the Raiders were on his radar as he approached free agency after five seasons with the 49ers. "Right off the bat actually, one of my agents gave me the first list of teams, Raiders were right up there. I have the familiarity with Josh, Dave [Ziegler]. All that played a role."

The Raiders gave Garoppolo a three-year, $67.5million contract, including $34m in guaranteed money.

"I'm coming in with the mindset that I need to earn everything – I don't want to be given any 'You're the franchise guy' or whatever," he said. "I want to come in and earn it.

"I think it will come through hard work, working with teammates, being in the facility. All those little things will play a role. But yeah, I don't want to be given anything; I want to earn it.

"Just because I’m the quarterback, I'm not the leader because of that. I want to be the leader because guys respect me and believe in me… I think it will happen naturally. I don't want to force anything, be inauthentic. I just want to be myself and it's done me well in the past."

Garoppolo joins a Raiders team coming off a 6-11 season, but with an offense that includes wide receivers Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow as well as running back Josh Jacobs.

"Whenever you've got skill position guys like that, the run after catch, I'm a big believer," Garoppolo said. "I think if you give them an accurate ball, if you've got the right guys that can make a play – and we seem to have the right guys here."

While Garoppolo is familiar with McDaniels and his offense, it’s been a while since he worked with him. He acknowledged he will have to relearn the language of the offense.

"Basically like going Spanish to French," he said. "It won’t take long but Josh's offense, obviously, has evolved over the years and you've just got to pick it up as quickly as possible. But we'll be fine."

He made the point of saying he wants to take the Raiders to the Super Bowl championship.

"I know every player says that when they come up to their first press conference, but that’s my goal," Garoppolo said. "I want to go get a ring, get the silver and black back to where it should be. I know it's not an easy process. I went through it in San Francisco, lower end of the field when I first got there."

There have been new names, new deals, new feuds, old feuds...

Now the 2021 season is on the horizon, but not every situation at the sport's most important position has reached a satisfactory conclusion.

There are intriguing QB scenarios to keep an eye on for plenty of teams this season, as Stats Perform explores.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Let's start with a rookie. While fellow first-round picks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones are set for starting roles, Trey Lance has a fight on his hands with the 49ers.

Lance is raw, having played just 19 college games in the FCS, and is set to begin the season behind Jimmy Garoppolo – fit again after becoming one of a remarkable number San Francisco players to suffer with injuries last year, unable to follow up their Super Bowl run.

But Lance's dual-threat ability gives Kyle Shanahan a new dynamic, as evidenced by his 14 rushing touchdowns in 2019 with North Dakota State. Garoppolo has only two career rushing scores.

That is likely to initially put the ball in Lance's hands in the red zone, where his legs should help improve a red zone efficiency of 53.2 per cent from the 2019 season, when a fully fit Niners team ranked 21st in the NFL.

By the end of the year, though, the 21-year-old will undoubtedly be keen for a bigger role, increasing pressure on Garoppolo while the team try to maintain a title challenge.

CHICAGO BEARS

Justin Fields is the second first-round selection starting the year behind an established NFL QB in Andy Dalton.

"There's no need for us to rush Justin," said Bears general manager Ryan Pace last week, explaining they were "very confident" in Dalton. "I just think the more time [Fields] has to learn that and observe, the better off for him," Pace added.

But Fields, who threw for 63 TDs and rushed for a further 15 in two years at Ohio State, is undoubtedly a more realistic long-term solution than Dalton, on his third team in three years.

Fields, like Lance, can run, ranking fifth in the Power 5 among quarterbacks with 7.42 yards per carry last year, but the Bears also need improvement through the air, having ranked 22nd with 228.4 net passing yards per game in 2020.

While the departed Mitchell Trubisky neither threw nor ran the ball well – delivering an accurate, well-thrown ball on just 71.6 per cent of passes and averaging 1.81 yards per carry – Fields (80.18 well-thrown percentage) can do both if given the opportunity.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

It is not only the teams who have spent first-round picks on passers who have a battle under center, with the Saints able to consider two options to replace the great Drew Brees.

Jameis Winston threw only 11 passes in New Orleans last season after leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the versatile Taysom Hill preferred when Brees was out injured, making four starts at QB.

But Winston has been confirmed as the starter for the new campaign – at least for now. Whether Sean Payton is willing to stick with an entertaining yet erratic QB for a full season remains to be seen.

The 27-year-old became the first player ever to throw 30 TD passes and 30 interceptions in the same NFL season as the Bucs went 7-9 in 2019.

Winston's 10.70 air yards ranked second, yet his pickable pass percentage of 7.69 was second-worst among those with 100 attempts or more.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

While some teams have multiple reliable options at QB, the Eagles scarcely have one. Having moved on from Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts is their starter.

Last time out, in his rookie year, Hurts completed just 52.0 per cent of his passes – the worst rate of any QB with 100 or more attempts – and still could not quite keep up with the league's elite running QBs, averaging 6.00 yards per carry.

Yet Philadelphia's response was to trade out of the number six pick in this year's draft and then opt against taking either Fields or Jones, who remained on the board after they moved back up to 10.

Joe Flacco, now 36, is in as the back-up, while a "fired up" Gardner Minshew has arrived from the Jacksonville Jaguars after 37 TDs in two years but is set for a role as a third-stringer.

Unless Hurts makes significant strides, it is difficult to see how the Eagles will not again be in position to take one of the top college QBs in 2022.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers was at the centre of the most compelling offseason speculation surrounding a quarterback this offseason. However, the Green Bay Packers star was not the only former champion at the centre of offseason speculation this year, with Russell Wilson's agent informing ESPN of four trade destinations that would interest the Seahawks stalwart.

Seattle kept their man in the end, but Wilson will be looking for progress from last season, when he complained of "getting hit too much" – "a pretty normal reaction," according to coach Pete Carroll.

Wilson was in the MVP conversation for the first half of the year but was soon left exposed behind a poor offensive line, sacked 47 times to swell his career total to 394 – the most of any QB since he entered the league.

Although left tackle Duane Brown has missed practice as he waits on a contract extension – another development that has frustrated Wilson – the Seahawks have at least traded for guard Gabe Jackson. That move needs to work.

Wilson last year averaged 8.70 air yards while throwing a pickable pass at the sixth-lowest ratio in the NFL (2.64%), but he has to have help if Seattle are to succeed.

The selection is a gamble for head coach Kyle Shanahan, who will stake his team's future on a player from North Dakota State with limited college experience compared to the QBs taken before him, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson.

Lance joins Jimmy Garoppolo in the 49ers' quarterback room for now, and his selection could mean San Francisco holds onto the veteran QB to help ease the rookie into the spotlight. 

Lance may have played only one game since the 2019 season, but his performances in his lone full campaign were enough to catapult him into the conversation as one of the classes top quarterbacks.

In leading the Bison to an FCS National Championship, Lance accounted for 42 total touchdowns and did not throw a single interception.

No other quarterback in the FBS and the FCS with a minimum of 200 pass attempts avoided throwing the ball to an opposition player in 2019.

Lance's tally of 14 rushing touchdowns was bettered by just four quarterbacks across the FBS and the FCS while his rushing average of 6.5 yards was fifth among signal-callers to have registered at least 100 rushing attempts.

In terms of throwing the ball, Lance averaged 9.71 yards per pass attempt in 2019, ranking eighth among all quarterbacks in the FBS and FCS, ahead of Justin Fields (9.25) in 13th and Trevor Lawrence (9.00), who was 18th.

Any quarterback with Lance's limited experience at FCS level poses a significant gamble but, in his brief time on the field, Lance demonstrated a versatile range of abilities that mesh perfectly with where the game is going at the quarterback position.

Widely praised for the intelligence he has displayed in pre-draft meetings, if he can use his smarts to quickly adapt to the pros and reproduce what he did in Fargo in the NFL, the pay-off will be huge for San Francisco.

That is a question being widely asked in the Bay Area following the starting quarterback's performance in a damaging defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.

The image of Garoppolo leaving the field in the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field with an ankle problem summed up a campaign in which he has struggled to overcome his own injury and the plethora of other personnel losses that have significantly hurt the 49ers' hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl.

In a season that many saw as a referendum on Garoppolo following his part in the 49ers' Super Bowl LIV collapse, the former New England Patriot has failed to deliver a convincing argument for him remaining as the face of the franchise.

Here we assess the data to look at whether the 49ers should move on from Garoppolo come the end of the season.

More turnovers, less accuracy

Garoppolo's numbers from 2020 do not make for particularly pretty reading. After throwing for just 84 yards and a key first-quarter interception against Seattle, he has 1,096passing yards with seventouchdowns and five picks.

He has thrown an interception on 3.6 per cent of his throws, tied for the fourth-highest percentage in the NFL.

It is also a noticeable jump from 2019 when Garoppolo threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions (2.7 per cent) and there is evidence of a decline in other areas.

Last season, Garoppolo was ninth in the NFL in Completion Percentage Over Expectation (CPOE).

CPOE is a NextGen Stats metric that compares a quarterback's completion percentage to the percentage of throws their model anticipated he would complete.

Garoppolo had a CPOE of 1.7 per cent in 2019, completing 69.1 per cent of his throws when he was expected to successfully connect on 67.5 per cent.

In 2020, that number has cratered to minus 3.6 per cent. He has a completion percentage of 67.1 per cent and has been expected to hit on 70.7 per cent.

Simply put, Garoppolo is turning the ball over at a higher rate and is significantly less accurate than he was in 2020, that is a dangerous combination for a player who has had trouble staying on the field.

A troubling injury history

Injury issues have been a theme of Garoppolo's career since he stepped into the fray for the Patriots during Tom Brady's deflategate suspension in 2016.

Set to fill in for Brady for four games, Garoppolo lasted just two before he suffered a shoulder injury.

He led the 49ers on a five-game winning streak following his trade from the Patriots in October of 2017 but his 2018 season was ended by a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

With the two games he missed because of a high-ankle sprain this season, Garoppolo has been absent for 18 games because of injury since the start of 2016.

That is the second-most among quarterbacks to have started at least 30 games in that timeframe behind only Ryan Tannehill (24), who has put his injury problems behind him and is leading the Tennessee Titans on another surge towards the postseason.

Now out indefinitely with more ankle problems, Garoppolo looks set to take the lead in that category. To use a well-worn NFL cliche, the best ability is availability and, since arriving in the Bay Area, Garoppolo has not been available enough for San Francisco.

When the 49ers come to assess Garoppolo's contract in the offseason, his relative lack of gametime compared to other starters around the league is likely to be something they consider.

Contract could be crucial factor

Garoppolo signed a five-year, $137.5million contract with the 49ers in the 2018 offseason following his five-game unbeaten run to close 2017.

However, the Niners are known for being adept at negotiating team-friendly deals and the Garoppolo contract is no exception.

The 49ers can part with Garoppolo in the offseason and save $24.1million in salary cap space, accounting for a dead cap charge of $2.8m.

In a year where the salary cap is expected to shrink to $175m because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and San Francisco have a plethora of starters on offense and defense set to hit free agency, that extra space would be very valuable to the point where releasing or trading Garoppolo and going with a much cheaper rookie becomes an appealing move.

Garoppolo has played a substantial role in the 49ers' rise back to relevance and key games in their run to the top seed in the NFC playoffs last season were won on his arm.

Yet questions have abounded since a playoff campaign in which the running game was more prevalent and the doubters have not been silenced in 2020.

Between Garoppolo's apparent regression, his injury history and the financial flexibility letting him go would buy the 49ers, there is a strong chance that, if last Sunday was his final game of the 2020 season, it was also his last in a Niners uniform.

All eyes were on debutants Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller after the high-flying Rams (7-3) acquired the star duo to boost their Super Bowl bid.

But the 49ers (4-5) spoiled the party – Garoppolo throwing two touchdown passes as San Francisco celebrated just their second home in the past two seasons, keeping their playoff hopes alive on Monday.

The 49ers, who have now won five straight games against the Rams – the longest active streak by either side, matching their 2008-10 run – had last emerged victorious on home soil in October 2020, also over the Rams.

Matthew Stafford (26-of-41 passing for 243 yards, a TD, two interceptions and two sacks) struggled as the Rams dropped back-to-back games, with the Los Angeles quarterback intercepted by Jimmie Ward on the opening two drives of the contest.

Ward's second interception led to a 27-yard touchdown return as he became the seventh player since 2000 with two interceptions – including a pick-six, in the opening quarter after Garoppolo (15-of-19 passing for 182 yards, two TDs and no interceptions) had led an 18-play, 93-yard TD drive less than a minute earlier.

Stafford has now thrown a pick-six in back-to-back games for the first time since his rookie season in 2009.

Leading 14-0 following the first quarter, the 49ers maintained that buffer as the teams traded touchdowns prior to half-time – Stafford throwing a 10-yard pass to Tyler Higbee before Deebo Samuel ran for an eight-yard score.

After Robbie Gould's 50-yard field goal stretched the lead in the third period, Samuel and Garoppolo combined for a 40-yard touchdown pass to put the 49ers out of reach early in the fourth.

Garoppolo's move as a free agent was initially reported on Monday, with ESPN's Adam Schefter suggesting the quarterback had agreed to a three-year, $67.5million deal, including $34m guaranteed.

The 31-year-old Garoppolo was expected to appear at a press conference on Thursday, but that was postponed without explanation. Now the deal is complete, however, with the Raiders confirming it in a press release. Terms were not disclosed.

Garoppolo will replace Derek Carr, who has departed for the New Orleans Saints.

Raiders head coach McDaniels knows all about Garoppolo's game, having been his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the New England Patriots.

Garoppolo left his role as Tom Brady's Patriots understudy to spend five and a half seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, featuring in the team that went to Super Bowl LIV and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

He featured for much of last season with the Niners, despite losing his place as starter initially to Trey Lance, although his campaign ended early because of a foot injury.

San Francisco's defense found itself very much against the wall with just under six minutes remaining in the second quarter after Jalen Hurts' 91-yard completion to Quez Watkins put the Eagles inside the red zone with a chance to extend their lead to 10-0.

However, the Niners stopped the Eagles four times from inside the five-yard line to force a turnover on downs, with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo subsequently leading a 12-play, 97-yard drive that finished with a touchdown to Jauan Jennings to give San Francisco the half-time advantage.

That proved the turning point in a hard-fought 17-11 win for the Niners, who controlled the game thereafter and held the Eagles out of the endzone until a late Hurts touchdown and a successful two-point conversion gave Philadelphia a glimmer of hope.

Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who blocked a field goal on his return from a knee injury, said afterwards: "I think they folded before we did. And I didn't think we were going to fold at all."

Garoppolo and the offense finally got things going after three successive three-and-outs to start the game, the first time that has happened with Kyle Shanahan as head coach.

Despite their early struggles, there was never any panic on the San Francisco sideline, the 49ers rewarded for their composure as they won back-to-back games on the east coast for the second successive year having again stayed at The Greenbrier in West Virginia to adapt to the change in time zone.

"Honestly, it was calmer than I expected," said Garoppolo. "Guys weren't freaking out, it was a tough defense, we knew that going into the game it was going to be a grinder type of game, away game coming off the week in West Virginia, there was a lot of things going against us but guys stayed the course and that's what you want to see with guys.

"We're a resilient group and when we play together like that's when we're playing good.

"When you can win different ways like that it makes for a good team. I've been around this league for a while now, teams that can win in different ways whether it's offense, defense, special teams stepping up that makes for a good team."

Reinforcements may be needed on offense at the running back spot, with three players at that position suffering injuries. Elijah Mitchell was able to return from a shoulder injury that the Niners hope is just a stinger, but the severity of JaMycal Hasty's ankle problem is not yet known while Trey Sermon suffered a head injury on debut.

"He said he was good enough to come back in, so that's when you think it's a stinger, but until you have time to go and get an MRI and stuff like that, you never know," Shanahan said of Mitchell.

"But we're hoping it was just a stinger. You usually feel good about it the way he was talking and the way he was able to come back in the game."

Having already lost Raheem Mostert for the season, the Niners will hope to have at least one of their top three backs ready when they host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and attempt to move to 3-0.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch said Friday that Lance is "pushing" incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo in training camp, but insisted head coach Kyle Shanahan will make the final call before the season opener. 

The 49ers will get a long look at Lance as they begin the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.

While Garoppolo will start, Shanahan said Thursday he expects the veteran to play just one series before handing the reins over to Lance for the rest of the first half. 

It will be the 21-year-old's first game-speed look at an NFL defence, and everyone is curious to see how he will handle it after playing only 19 college games at North Dakota State. 

After trading their first-round picks in 2021, 2022 and 2023, plus a third-rounder in 2022, to move up and pick Lance, the 49ers have been impressed by what they have seen from him in camp.

“He’s been awesome. He’s been everything we thought he would be and more," Lynch told KNBR radio Friday. 

"He was good from day one when he walked in here in the offseason, and I think a testament to what we thought he was and his work ethic.”

Lynch said Lance and Garoppolo have developed a strong rapport and the rookie has earned his team-mates' respect. 

The newly minted Hall of Famer deumurred when asked about whether Lance might end up starting the September 12 opener at the Detroit Lions. 

"That's up to our head coach," Lynch said. "He makes the decisions on who's playing and whatnot. But I think it's Jimmy's right now and Trey's pushing. I think that's where it's at."

All eyes were on debutants Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller after the high-flying Rams (7-3) acquired the star duo to boost their Super Bowl bid.

But the 49ers (4-5) spoiled the party – Jimmy Garoppolo throwing two touchdown passes as San Francisco celebrated just their second home win in the past two seasons, keeping their playoff hopes alive on Monday.

The 49ers, who have now won five straight games against the Rams – the longest active streak by either side, matching their 2008-10 run – had last emerged victorious on home soil in October 2020, also over the Rams.

Part of that was down to the 49ers having to play part of the 2020 season in Arizona due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara, but there was still a sense of relief as they eventually enjoyed success in their own backyard.

Shanahan was grateful to put such a run behind them.

"It's been frustrating," he said. "We haven't won at home yet this year. The last time we did win at home was versus the Rams.

"We had one game after that versus the Packers, and we spent are our home [games] in Arizona, but just going to this year was very frustrating.

"Especially, the crowds that we've had, the way our fans have been. They were awesome today. Just like they were awesome last week, but I'm glad we gave them something to be proud of today.

"I just told [the team] how proud of them I was. I said we've got a short week. I think we've got a real good team [the Jacksonville Jaguars] ahead of us – that's how we expect to play here.

"It's been long overdue and we've got to make sure that we take a day off. Those guys rest, come back healthy on a short week, make sure we keep it going forward."

There were entirely different thoughts going through the head of Rams coach Sean McVay, however, with the Super Bowl hopefuls suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

"I choose to believe that these last couple weeks are not who we are," he said. "I refuse to believe that, even though, you know what, you're only as good as your last game.

"These last two weeks have certainly been humbling."

Beckham was rather less dramatic, though, despite his debut being overshadowed by a chastening defeat.

The wide receiver, who joined the Rams as a free agent this week following his release by the Cleveland Browns, simply felt the 49ers were better all over the field.

"I was excited, I felt like I was ready for the moment," Beckham added. "I've been through so much and God has put me in this position for that exact moment.

"It just wasn't our night. There's really no way around it, it just wasn't our night. Any given Sunday any team can win.

"The Niners came out and they played better than us in all phases of the game, and that's really the moral of the story. There's no trying to find what happened, they just outplayed us."

The Niners will travel to face NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday as they bid to reach a second Super Bowl in three years.

They need two straight wins at SoFi Stadium – which will also host the Super Bowl on February 13 – to make history.

The play of Garoppolo has come under scrutiny in the playoffs despite San Francisco's advance.

In their two wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, he had zero touchdowns and two interceptions, with passing yard totals of 172 and 131 respectively.

His future has been in doubt ever since the Niners traded up at huge cost to select QB Trey Lance at number three overall in the 2021 draft.

But head coach Shanahan believes the public support shown by Garoppolo's teammates such as George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa speaks volumes for his contribution.

"It shows what our guys think of him," Shanahan said. "And it also shows our guys probably are on social media [seeing the criticism].

"They probably feel a need to stick up for him. I know his social media probably hasn't been that great, so I'm glad they're sticking up for him because what they say is the truth."

Garoppolo also led the Niners to the Super Bowl in the 2019 season, resulting in an agonising loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

He could only play in six games last season as the whole Niners roster was decimated with injuries but led the team in 15 regular season contests in 2021.

"Jimmy is one of the main reasons we're here," insisted Shanahan.

"He's done an unbelievable job. People don't give him enough credit. We win as a team, and that's why he doesn't always have the same stats that some of these MVP candidates have.

"But Jimmy's a very good quarterback - he doesn't worry about any of that stuff. He doesn't worry about social media. That's why he's a little similar to me.

"He never really changes, and I think that's what people respect the most about him.

"He's gone through some ups and downs while he's been here, like most quarterbacks do, but he's the same guy. And that's why people, first and foremost, respect him as a human, as a person.

"And then the way that he goes and battles on the field, everyone knows how tough he is, everyone knows how hard he'll compete running with the ball and our guys also know he can throw pretty well too."

Garoppolo, who arrived in a trade from the New England Patriots in 2017, has a similar view about outside critics.

Asked if he had a strategy to cope, he said: "Well, friends, family, they always seem to remind me of those things, but I don’t know.

"Just knowing yourself and knowing who you are plays a big part of that, because if you get lost in it and start believing some of those things, it could take you down the wrong road.

"So I don’t know, I think it’s just about knowing yourself as a player, as a person, and as long as these guys in this locker room have faith in me and belief in me, that is all I really care about."

The Niners have won six straight games over the Rams in their regular-season series, with a dramatic comeback 27-24 overtime victory over LA in Week 18 getting them into the playoffs as a wildcard team.

But it is NFC West champions the Rams who go into the contest as narrow favourites having knocked off defending Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round.

The 49ers, meanwhile, won 13-10 in Green Bay despite failing to score an offensive touchdown.

They were just the ninth team ever to win a playoff game in that way - NFL teams were previously 8-103 in playoff games without a scrimmage touchdown.

Avoiding turnovers is going to be critical. The Rams are 8-0 this year when Matthew Stafford does not throw an interception, while the 49ers are 7-0 when Garoppolo does not throw a pick.

Garoppolo is on injured reserve with an ankle injury and the San Francisco QB's future has been thrust into the spotlight amid criticism, while the 4-6 49ers struggle to reach the lofty heights of 2019.

The former New England Patriots quarterback, who led the 49ers to last season's Super Bowl, has completed 94 of 140 passes for 1,096 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions in six games this season.

Asked about Garoppolo, Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday: "I expect Jimmy to be our starter next year.

"I expect him to come and play with us this year. We have six games left, we are not out of the playoffs yet.

"I have been on a team that was 3-6 going into a bye week that ended up winning their division. I think we have guys on this team that are capable of finishing this the right way.

"We've got to do it one game at a time, and I hope Jimmy can be a part of that.

"But to think that we've made any decisions on anybody going into the future isn't the case. Jimmy has won a lot of games for us. It's a lot harder to win games when he's not here. Just hoping we can get him back."

Garoppolo – a two-time Super Bowl winner in New England – is 22-8 as a starter with the 49ers since joining from the Patriots in 2017, while he is 2-1 in the playoffs.

The 29-year-old has 659 completions for 8,042 yards, 51 touchdowns and 26 interceptions throughout his NFL career.

The 49ers gained seven points on special teams and saved three on a night where Robbie Gould's walk-off field goal earned a 13-10 triumph to send San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game.

Green Bay had led for most of the game after AJ Dillon's first-quarter touchdown but the 49ers drew level late when Jordan Willis blocked Corey Bojorquez's punt allowing Talanoa Hufanga to collect the loose ball and run into the end-zone.

The 49ers regained possession with 3:25 to play, with the excellent Deebo Samuel helping drive them into field-goal range before 39-year-old Gould nailed his 45-yard attempt on the final whistle.

"We thought our special teams had an advantage in this game," head coach Shanahan said. 

"We thought they had an opportunity to possibly win us the game. And to be able to say that and to actually come to fruition was huge for those guys and huge for our team."

Gould, who has now succeeded with each of his 20 career playoff field-goal attempts, ensured his boot stayed hot in snowy conditions at Lambeau Field and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo paid tribute to his team-mate, with a little pun thrown in for good measure.

"I always trust Robbie. He's as good as gold, man. He always is," he said.

Garoppolo added: "It's dangerous, man. When a team gets hot, it's dangerous.

"So we've just got to keep this thing going, focus on next week now, and keep this thing rolling.

"It took everything. We knew it was going to. I mean, it was just offense, defense, special teams - everybody stepping up and doing their part. I wouldn't have it any other way."

The stars certainly seemed to align for the 49ers, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, with Jimmie Ward having earlier blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt from Mason Crosby on the final play of the first half. Had he made the kick the Packers would have led 10-0.

Victory means the 49ers are headed to their 17th conference championship appearance, the most for any team since the conferences were forged following the 1970 merger.

With the Cincinnati Bengals having beaten the Tennessee Titans earlier in the day, it also meant it was the first time since 2010 both number one seeds lost in the divisional round in the same season.

George Kittle said the 49ers proved they are a "gritty" team to make it this far.

"This team has been through a lot," the tight end said. "We've been through a lot of adversity. 

"We've dealt with a lot. We've lost games by making mistakes. We've won games dirty. This is a gritty team. It's a salty team, and we just keep bouncing back."