Maybe it’s just me, but recently every time I tune in to sports
talk radio on 680 KNBR or turn the television dial to ESPN or Fox
Sports Net, all I hear about is Jeff Garcia and his imminent
departure from the San Francisco 49ers.
Maybe it’s just me, but recently every time I tune in to sports talk radio on 680 KNBR or turn the television dial to ESPN or Fox Sports Net, all I hear about is Jeff Garcia and his imminent departure from the San Francisco 49ers.
The stories do vary, depending on the show, so I decided to put an end to all the hearsay and drop a line to Jeff’s father, Bobby Garcia, who still lives in Gilroy with his wife, Linda.
It didn’t take long at all for Garcia to return my call on Wednesday, and I immediately asked him, “What’s going on with Jeff?”
His response was one I would never expect.
He said, “I know as much as you, and that’s nothing.”
Bobby wasn’t holding anything back. It was the God’s honest truth. He was just as curious as to what was going to happen. He did say he talked to Jeff, who told him he was meeting with 49ers general manager Terry Donahue. The meeting, however, wasn’t for contract negotiations. Rather it was supposed to be solely about Jeff’s weekly meetings with an NFL counselor since his DUI arrest.
I’m sure that wasn’t the only thing discussed, especially after reading Jeff’s comments in the San Jose Mercury News’ Thursday sports section in the story ‘A Future In Doubt, Garcia: Contract talks still sticky.’
“I just feel stronger and more motivated to be the best possible quarterback that I can be,” said Garcia in the Feb. 26 edition of The Mercury. “As much as I want to be here with the 49ers, if it doesn’t work out, it will obviously have to be elsewhere.”
The 49ers want to restructure Jeff’s scheduled $10 million contract for the upcoming season, and, apparently, if he doesn’t take less money, then he’s on his way out.
Now, it has never been about the money for Jeff Garcia, who played for the league minimum in his first seasons with the 49ers. It’s about a Gilroy boy living out his dream of playing for the team he grew up rooting for. What a perfect story, ‘Hometown boy plays for hometown team.’
Not too many of us get a chance to fulfill our dreams, and it was a long battle for the undrafted quarterback out of San Jose State to make it to the NFL, taking the Canadian Football League route. But through all his hard work and determination, Jeff made his dream come true, signing with the 49ers in 1999.
Now that dream has taken a turn for the worst. Even after three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances as well as a miraculous second-half comeback over the New York Giants in the playoffs two seasons ago, the 34-year-old still has not done enough to solidify his status.
Thursday night’s Sports Center announced that Jeff Garcia is not expected to return to the 49ers next season and could be cut loose as soon as Wednesday, the day he’s due a $500,000 roster bonus.
I hope that’s not true. I hope something can be worked out because I, for one, believe the garlic slinger has at least three more good years in him, and he will play for a Super Bowl. I hope that’s with the 49ers and not across the country with another franchise.
In that same Wednesday evening conversation with Bobby Garcia, he told me something that I just can’t get out of my mind. He said that Jeff just wants to play on a team that wants to win the Super Bowl, a team that appreciates him and what he does on the field. When it comes to that description, for the first time it seems that Jeff and the Niners may not actually be a perfect fit.
I heard on the radio that the Niners are clearing cap room and are looking to in the long term and not the immediate future. Does that mean that the Niners don’t plan on winning games and working toward the Super Bowl? I’m sure 49ers season ticket holders would like to know the answer to that question.
I can’t believe that he is not appreciated in San Francisco. Sure, he’s not Joe Montana or Steve Young, but Jeff Garcia, on any other team and in only five seasons, is one of the best quarterbacks that team ever had. If Jeff is past him prime and the Niners don’t need him, then why won’t they allow him to market himself to other teams.
If the 49ers are not looking to win now, then getting rid of Jeff Garcia is the right answer, because he’s a proven winner – and he’ll win wherever he goes.
