Jimmy Garoppolo Likely to Get 49ers' Franchise Tag, Says Kyle Shanahan

The San Francisco 49ers are likely to use the franchise tag on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2018 season, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Monday.

"I think that's logical," Shanahan said, per the Press Democrat's Grant Cohn. "Just being totally honest. When you're making a long-term decision on someone for your organization to pay him the amount of money that you do for quarterbacks, that's a big deal. [Garoppolo] hasn't played in a lot of football games. He has come in here in a situation where he hasn't had a fair opportunity to prepare the right way."

Shanahan also said the ability to use the franchise tag was a factor in the team's decision to acquire Garoppolo prior to the trade deadline, according to the Bay Area News Group's Cam Inman:

"

#49ers Kyle Shanahan says ability to place franchise tag on Garoppolo made trade a no-brainer, leaves door open to long-term deal if plays well in these final 5 or 3 games

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) November 28, 2017"

Giving the franchise tag to Garoppolo would mean tying a lot of money to the 26-year-old. The franchise tag for a quarterback this year was worth a little over $21.2 million, and the number will almost certainly climb in 2018.

Still, that's a better option for San Francisco than signing Garoppolo to a multiyear extension.

Garoppolo only made his 49ers debut in Sunday's 24-13 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks. He was 2-of-2 for 18 yards and a touchdown in relief of an injured C.J. Beathard.

Even if Garoppolo starts every game the rest of the way, he'd still have only seven career NFL starts under his belt before his contract expires in the offseason. The franchise tag is a risky enough proposition; San Francisco doesn't need to add even more risk by signing him for multiple years.

By using the franchise tag, the 49ers would leave themselves open to making an expensive mistake in the event Garoppolo looked ill-suited for a starting role. At least the strategy wouldn't saddle the team with a regrettable contract that carries over beyond 2018.