James Richard Garoppolo (born November 2, 1991), nicknamed "Jimmy G", is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Illinois, where he set the school records for career passing yards and passing touchdowns, and won the Walter Payton Award as a senior. Garoppolo was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and spent his first four seasons as Tom Brady's backup. Traded to the 49ers near the end of the 2017 season, Garoppolo helped revitalize a 1–10 team by winning the five remaining games of the year. In 2019, he guided the 49ers to the top seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) and an appearance in Super Bowl LIV. His San Francisco tenure has also been afflicted by injuries, which caused him to miss most of the 2018, 2020, and 2022 seasons. Early life and family Garoppolo was born and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is the third of four sons born to Denise (née Malec) and Tony Garoppolo Sr., a retired electrician. His...