Washington cannot pursue Jimmy Garoppolo after late-game struggles vs Cowboys

Everyone has an opinion. That’s just the way it goes.

When it comes to the Washington Football Team and their offseason search for a franchise quarterback, the only notion fans agree on is that Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson should take precedence over everyone else.

Behind those generational talents, though, it feels like everyone is split. Some folks are reluctant about giving up assets for Derek Carr, while others would prefer to net a Kenny Pickett or Matt Corral in the 2022 draft.

Like we said, everyone has an opinion. The ramifications that would stem from appointing the wrong guy would set Washington back years.

Regardless of whom your flavor of the week is, though, I think we can all agree that Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the guy, right?

While the 30-year-old vet wouldn’t be an awful placeholder option if all else fails, his struggles in crunch time in Sunday’s Wild Card win over the Cowboys proved Washington should set their sights elsewhere.

The Washington Football Team shouldn’t pursue Jimmy Garoppolo.

By no means is Garoppolo a bad quarterback, but he’s quite literally in the perfect situation in San Francisco. With Kyle Shanahan’s brilliant run scheme and athletic specimens like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk to create yards after the catch, Jimmy G is the definition of a game-manager.

And yet, Garoppolo always seems to hold them back. On Sunday, he had a couple of brutal misfires with the 49ers nursing a 23-7 lead late in the third quarter

The first of which came when he overthrew a WIDE open Aiyuk, who burned All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs (surprise, surprise) on a double move on 3rd and 10 for what would’ve gone for a huge gain beyond midfield.

At that point, it’s possible Dallas would’ve folded mentally and allowed San Fran to score the game-deciding touchdown. Instead, the 49ers punted and the Cowboys responded by kicking a field goal to make it a two-score game.

That wasn’t the only role Jimmy G played in Dallas’ near comeback. On 2nd and 10 with 9:48 remaining in regulation, the 49ers QB overthrew an open Trent Sherfield near the first-down marker and was picked by Anthony Brown.

Wouldn’t you know it, the Cowboys, gifted with a short field, scored in the form of a Dak Prescott rushing touchdown to make it a 23-17 game.

As you can see, both Aiyuk and Sherfield were wide open. These were two of the biggest throws of the game and Garoppolo came up short, which is a shame because he vastly outperformed Prescott for most of the game.

It’s just the same old story with Garoppolo. When you least expect him to make a back-breaking play, he’s going to do it. The 49ers are built to win a Super Bowl, but Jimmy G, in one way or another, will hold them back.

Remember when he overthrew Emmanuel Sanders on a deep ball in Super Bowl LIV that would’ve put the 49ers up 27-23 less than two minutes left in the fourth? A prime example of him choking in a big moment.

We actually think Garoppolo is better than most people give him credit for, but he’s dependent on a great supporting cast to win games. With all due respect to Washington, their weapons don’t compare to San Francisco’s.

Unless Washington wants to see an even lesser version of Garoppolo, they need to turn their attention elsewhere this offseason.