Add Brett Favre to the list of former NFL quarterbacks who love Jimmy Garoppolo.
Favre told The 33rd Team in an interview shared on Monday that he thinks it’s ‘crazy’ that San Francisco is moving on from Jimmy G, and that he deserves to keep playing after the success he’s had with the 49ers.
“My personal opinion, I would go with Garoppolo,” Favre told The 33rd Team in an interview shared on Monday. “He’s not as flashy — not near as flashy. He wasn’t their first-round pick, and no offense towards Trey Lance, but what Jimmy has done is win. And win, win, win.
“Again, not flashy so it’s not the glamorous pick, but my goodness, the guy has won and put them in a position to go or compete for the Super Bowl year in and year out and deserves that right to keep playing.”
There are obviously some parallels here between the Garoppolo-Lance situation and the Favre-Aaron Rodgers situation. The difference is that Favre was one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history when he eventually left Green Bay for Rodgers, who by that point had waited in the wings for three full seasons.
Garoppolo has led the 49ers to two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl appearance, but hasn’t always passed the eye test. The belief among the 49ers’ brass is that Lance provides more upside and can expand the possibilities of the SF offense with his ability. Garoppolo has also had a hard time staying on the field, and injuries have derailed two of his four full seasons in Red & Gold.
Still, Favre believes you go with the proven winner when you have it.
“There’s a tremendous upside with Trey, there’s no question about it,” Favre said. “But Jimmy G has been a proven winner … Oftentimes, that gets overlooked: Is a guy a winner? And Garoppolo is definitely a winner.”