Jimmy Garoppolo’s brother shades ‘offensive guru’ Kyle Shanahan after 49ers loss | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s brother was not impressed with Kyle Shanahan’s coaching during the Niners’ 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.

Billy Garoppolo posted a photo of Shanahan on his Instagram Story with the caption, “Offensive Guru,” followed by a series of laughing emojis.

The 49ers managed to score two field goals, while the Rams scored four times without a touchdown in the first NFL game of the 2024 season.

Shanahan, who is in his seventh season as the 49ers’ head coach, previously worked with Garoppolo for five seasons between 2018 and 2022.

Garoppolo led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2020 but was intercepted on his final pass of the game as San Francisco lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The franchise took the first step in moving away from Garoppolo the following spring when the Niners traded for draft quarterback Trey Lance in 2021.

By the end of the 2022 season, the relationship between the team and quarterback had deteriorated to the point that Shanahan and the 49ers coaching staff believed Garoppolo had “turned them off” during the playoffs, according to The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami.

Garoppolo had no success as a starter outside of San Francisco. He made six starts before being benched during his 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders and has yet to play in 2024 while serving as a backup for the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers, meanwhile, returned to the Super Bowl in their first season without Garoppolo, but fell short this season with a 6-8 start that has them on the verge of officially exiting postseason contention in Week 15.

The loss to the Rams was highlighted by pass issues. According to ESPN’s Benjamin Solak, Brock Purdy was 0-for-7 with an interception on passes over 20 yards. Meanwhile, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel combined for nine catches on 23 targets.

The 49ers’ postseason hopes could officially end with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but Shanahan will remain focused on improving his team’s passing offense going forward as Seattle prepares to extend a possible long-term extension offer to Purdy this offseason submit.