“A lot of guys got mad” - Julian Edelman reveals frustrations with Jimmy Garoppolo’s spotty attendance in New England

One of the first talking points about Jimmy Garoppolo is his attendance record. In the minds of most, his attendance in the NFL has been well below satisfactory. Some point to this as the chief reason behind the 49ers' choice to draft Trey Lance. However, his health record was not something that was first discovered in San Francisco.

When the quarterback made his debut in New England during Tom Brady's deflategate suspension, he popped. That said, he failed to finish his four-game relief stretch due to injury. According to Julian Edelman, that injury itself was a stretch.

Speaking in a clip played on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the wide receiver revealed that he and others believed the quarterback could have played but did not. This leaves many to wonder if the quarterback could have played more games in San Francisco but chose not to. Here's how he put it:

“So we go into Week 4. And Jimmy was practicing and then decided not to play and Jacoby played with no ligaments in his thumb, which you can't do that. You can't grip [the football] ...and a lot, a lot of guys got mad about it. A lot of guys got mad. I'm not gonna lie. I got mad about it."

He continued, feeling it was unfair for him to play hurt and for the quarterback to get a pass:

"I sacrificed my body all day long. All day long. I was taking shots for this, knowing of that ribs [were broken], shoulders, grade three, hanging on by limbs just to play, you know. And I can understand why [one] thinks like that.”

Jimmy Garoppolo's debut

San Francisco 49ers v Arizona Cardinals

At one point, Jimmy Garoppolo was the heir apparent to Tom Brady. After getting drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the quarterback quietly sat behind Brady. When his starting quarterback got wrapped up in Deflategate in 2016, it was the quarterback's first true time to shine.

He had seen sporatic, brief action, at times, in his first couple of seasons, but this was the first time the spotlight fell squarely on him. In his first two starts, the quarterback earned two wins. According to Pro Football Reference, the quarterback threw for four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

However, after his hot start, Garoppolo hit a wall when he was injured. He failed to finish his debut run. Jacoby Brissett wrapped up the four-game stretch. However, as touched on by Julian Edelman above, the quarterback also had his own injuries to deal with.

While Garoppolo's run was brief, it was enough to convince the San Francisco 49ers to make him their starting quarterback after getting traded from New England in 2017. He would play five games that season, starting 7-0 in his first full seven games. Since then, he's played in a Super Bowl and ended his 2021 season in the NFC Championship.

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If any of the above quotes are used, please credit The Herd with Colin Cowherd and H/T Sportskeeda.

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