Just days after the San Francisco 49ers traded for New England quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, head coach Kyle Shanahan has already miffed the fans of the city and the press. According to NBC Sports Talk, Shanahan hinted at his Wednesday press conference that Garoppolo may not see the field as the Niners' starting QB until 2018. That remark had much of the press saying "Wait, what?"

Shanahan makes no promises

Kyle Shanahan had many folks in the press looking confused on Wednesday afternoon when he said that he “can’t promise” that Garoppolo will play before the 2017 season is over.

Now, to the average fan that does sound, well, frankly, foolish. However, maybe Shanahan has a method to his madness, or at least 49ers fans hope he does.

The head coach made good points at his weekly presser when he said that Garoppolo won’t play against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend and that he’s “not here to save our season” but to improve the organization.

Being new to the team, it is normal that Jimmy G would sit out this week's contest. After all, you have to learn the plays, the coaching scheme, etc. However, to say he may not play the entire year is odd. Sure, the Niners are the only team yet to still taste victory (0-8) heading into Week 9 of the season, which puts them on a collision course with the No.

1 draft pick in 2018.

Currently, the plan is for Garoppolo to be active as C.J. Beathard‘s backup. This way he can gain knowledge of the system fast and be ready to go in after a week or two.

Still, for coach Shanahan to make a remark like that is a little bizarre. Perhaps he doesn’t want Garoppolo to get injured -- or, just maybe, he doesn’t want Garoppolo to get frustrated with losing.

You have to remember that Garoppolo is leaving arguably the best team in the game and heading to a team that has been caught up in losing ways for the past three seasons. Attitude is just as important in sports as talent. The old saying that "winning breeds winning and losing breeds losing" is very true.

Could Jimmy G opt out next season?

Here is a wild theory for you. What if Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t want to be in San Francisco and decides to opt out and test the market next season? Garoppolo is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2018, and should get a nice payday with the Niners or any other team looking for a new starting quarterback.

The 49ers, of course, want to hammer out a deal before the end of this season and sew up their future signal caller. If a deal can’t be reached, San Francisco can always franchise Garoppolo for the 2018 season.
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