Jimmy Garoppolo could have gotten out without having to “ruffle feathers” – newsdubai

Getty Images

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo recently revealed a stunning failure to realize that Football is business, Fam by explaining that he did not ask to be released because he does not like to ruffle feathers.

Don’t like ruffling feathers? The team ruffled feathers by investing three first-round picks and a third-round pick in acquiring Garoppolo’s replacement.

Still, there’s a way Garoppolo could have gotten out without ruffling feathers. If the expiring years of his contract had included an early trigger of a larger payment or the acquisition of a significant guarantee, the 49ers would have had to make a decision in mid-March, not late August.

It is a reminder to players and agents that there are always benefits to seeking such protections. Maybe Don Yee tried. Or maybe both sides assumed from 2018 that Garoppolo would be the long-term answer in San Francisco and that he would have a new contract before 2022.

Regardless, it’s a detail that should always be kept in mind when negotiating long-term contracts. Once the contract turns into the year-to-year team-option phase, with none of the money guaranteed, it’s important to remove from the team the ability to do what the 49ers did to Garoppolo – squat on him and wait until he had no alternative to taking what the 49ers were willing to pay to keep him around as an understudy for Trey Lance.