Jimmy Garoppolo's Brother Shades 'Offensive Guru' Kyle Shanahan After 49ers' Loss

The brother of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was not impressed on Thursday by Kyle Shanahan's coaching during the Niners' 12-6 defeat by the Los Angeles Rams.

Billy Garoppolo posted a photo of Shanahan to his Instagram story captioned "Offensive Guru," followed by a string of laughing emojis.

The 49ers were held to two field goals while the Rams scored four in the first NFL game of the 2024 season to not include a touchdown.

Shanahan, who is in his seventh season as the 49ers' head coach, previously worked with Garoppolo for five seasons between 2018 and 2022.

Garoppolo led the 49ers as far as the Super Bowl in 2020, but was intercepted on his final pass of the game as San Francisco lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The franchise took the first step toward moving on from Garoppolo the following spring, when the Niners traded up to draft quarterback Trey Lance in 2021.

By the end of the 2022 season, the team and quarterback's relationship had deteriorated to the point where Shanahan and the 49ers coaching staff believed Garoppolo "tuned them out" during the playoffs, according to The Athletic's Tim Kawakami.

Garoppolo hasn't found success as a starter outside San Francisco. He earned six starts before he was benched during his 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and has yet to play in 2024 while serving as a backup for the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers meanwhile returned to the Super Bowl in their first season without Garoppolo, but have collapsed this season with a 6-8 start that has them on the brink of official elimination from postseason contention heading into Week 15.

The loss to the Rams was highlighted by passing struggles. Brock Purdy was 0-for-7 with an interception on passes over 20 yards, per ESPN's Benjamin Solak. George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel meanwhile combined for nine catches on 23 targets.

The 49ers' postseason hopes could officially end with a Seattle Seahawks win on Sunday, but Shanahan will still look to focus on improving his team's passing offense going forward as Seattle prepares to make a potential long-term extension offer to Purdy this offseason.