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Jimmy Garoppolo made five starts with the San Francisco 49ers, going 5-0 after beginning the season 1-10 with other quarterbacks in place. Any team that acquired Garoppolo knew they were going to have to open the checkbook for the former understudy to Tom Brady, and that’s exactly what 49ers GM John Lynch did.
The 49ers and QB Jimmy Garoppolo have agreed to a five-year, $137.5 million contract, source says. The biggest deal in NFL history on a average-per-year basis.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 8, 2018
The 5-year, $137.5 million deal is the biggest in NFL history on a per-year basis. Additionally, multiple reports have said that he has $90 million guaranteed in the first three years of the deal, which is also a new record. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter said, several quarterbacks near or at the end of their contracts should be very happy to see that deal, especially Kirk Cousins, who will probably be the highest-paid quarterback a few weeks from now:
Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and any QB who's about to be paid in the near future thank Jimmy Garoppolo.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 8, 2018
The Browns would have no problem getting a quarterback under the salary cap. Heck, if they sign a quarterback to a deal like Garoppolo got, they could fit that $90 million guaranteed in year one alone (although probably not advisable). You can bet that Cousins will look to hit at least $30 million per year on his contract, with $100 million guaranteed.