Jimmy Garoppolo’s late-season performance sends the San Francisco 49ers into the offseason with more optimism than typical for a team with a losing record.

”We’re going to work hard to try to keep him as a 49er for a long http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-christian-miller-jersey , long time,” general manager John Lynch said Tuesday. ”We’re really happy with the way he played. We think he’s got some abilities that are unique and we want him here.”

Garoppolo’s arrival totally transformed a team that began the season with nine straight losses under first-year coach Kyle Shanahan and ended it with five straight wins after Garoppolo took over as starter.

He threw for 1,542 yards during those starts and looked the part of a franchise quarterback the Niners (6-10) hoped they had acquired when they dealt a second-round pick to New England at the trade deadline.

”Obviously, Jimmy came in and he was fabulous,” Lynch said. ”He was great for us and he made people around him better and I think that’s the mark of a player who has an opportunity to be special is do you make people around you better? He did that.”

Now Garoppolo is eligible for free agency in March, although he won’t hit the open market. If the 49ers can’t reach a long-term deal in the coming weeks, they will use the franchise tag to lock him up for 2018 for about $25 million.

”I like being here,” Garoppolo said. ”I think we had a good thing going at the end of this year. And we’ll see what happens.”

Here are some issues the 49ers will face this offseason:

HISTORIC TURNAROUND: The Niners became just the second team to finish with a losing record despite winning the final five games, joining the 1989 Detroit Lions. They also set doubled the previous high win total for a team that started the season 0-9, leading to the good will around the franchise.

”That’s why this year was so special,” left tackle Joe Staley said. ”We’re 6-10 at the end of the season, but I don’t think there’s a team in the NFL that would want to see us right now in the playoffs. We just got to carry that momentum in the offseason and continue to work like we did this year in the second half. We’re excited about next year.”

ROARING ROOKIES: The other major bright spot in San Francisco was the play of the rookie class. The Niners got major contributions from several rookies led by first-round linebacker Reuben Foster, who should be a centerpiece of the defense for years to come. Receiver Trent Taylor and tight end George Kittle each caught 43 passes, Matt Breida was a solid backup running back and safety Adrian Colbert and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon showed signs of being long-term contributors in the secondary.

FREE AGENCY: The 49ers will be able to spend big in free agency if they choose thanks to more than $110 million projected in salary cap room. Some of the biggest decisions outside of getting a deal done with Garoppolo will be about their own players. Running back Carlos Hyde Jordan Scarlett Jersey , safety Eric Reid and center Daniel Kilgore are among the most prominent potential free agents. Hyde and Reid had strong finishes to their season and will likely get offers from other teams if allowed to hit the open market. Kilgore helped ease Garoppolo’s transition and the Niners may want to keep him to provide continuity on the line.

GET HEALTHY: San Francisco had 23 players end the season on injured reserve, including several the team is counting on to be healthy contributors in 2018. Linebacker Malcolm Smith (biceps) missed the entire season, along with 2016 first-round guard Joshua Garnett (knee). Safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward went down with mid-season broken arms, and 2015 first-round defensive lineman Arik Armstead broke his hand. Receiver Pierre Garcon also was shut down with a neck injury, along with right tackle Trent Brown (shoulder). Healthy returns for those players could provide big boosts next season.

BREAKTHROUGH SEASON: The most impressive free-agent addition last year for the Niners was receiver Marquise Goodwin, who exceeded his four-year output in Buffalo in just one season in San Francisco. Goodwin caught 56 passes for 962 yards and was tied for fifth in catches (29) and sixth in yards receiving (384) in the final five games after Garoppolo took over at quarterback.

—

Even Julio Jones was caught off guard when someone mentioned all the various body parts he’s had to nurse back to health this season.

Ribs. Thumb. Knee. Hip. Back. Ankle.

The ankle twice, in fact.

”Whew! All that?” he asked, sounding a bit incredulous.

Then, with a slight smile and shaking his head, Jones added, ”Long season, man. Long season.”

He’s got a routine to cope with all the aches and pains.

During the week, Jones is often limited in practice or doesn’t even take the field. But by the time the game rolls around, he’s always ready to go.

”He has a real process to do that Jonah Williams Jersey ,” coach Dan Quinn said. ”We’re fortunate that he’s played with injuries and kind of knows the routine of how to do it.”

That will be the case again for Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game against the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles .

After sitting out two days of practice with a sore ankle and going through a limited routine Thursday at the final full workout before the game, the star receiver will be in the starting lineup for the 18th consecutive time this season.

”The thing with being injured, it’s really just blocking it out,” Jones said. ”Don’t use it as an excuse.”

Quinn noted that the Falcons usually have an extensive walk-through before each practice, and that’s a session that Jones rarely misses no matter how much he’s hurting. He uses the time to get familiar with the game plan, run some routes and hone his timing with quarterback Matt Ryan.

If Jones is limited during the actual practice, he focuses on plays in which he’ll likely be the primary receiver.

”We try to feature him on plays that are unique for him and Matt to be at full speed,” Quinn said. ”When he goes, it’s these full-speed, aggressive routes. So that helps him as far as the timing goes.”

Jones has been on the injury report eight of the last 10 weeks, along with two other weeks early in the season.

None of the injuries were serious enough to keep him from playing, but they did require plenty of tender loving care to make sure there were no setbacks. That’s why, over the course of the last four months, the injury report has listed him as limited or out of practice more times than he’s fully participated.

Game day is a different story.

”If you say you’re gonna go http://www.bengalscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-drew-sample-jersey , go. Don’t bring it up in the middle of the game,” he said. ”We know it hurts. Don’t let your mind be negative. Just stay positive. If something’s hurting or anything like that, I never relay it back to (the sideline). I know it hurts. You don’t want to talk about it and bring that stuff up during the game. If I suit up, I’m going. I’m not saying anything about it.”

A turning point in Jones’ pain threshold came during his sophomore season at Alabama. He broke his left hand in a game, had surgery the next day and was cleared to play the following week.

He wasn’t at his best.

”I was a little timid to catch just because of the pain,” Jones recalled. ”It was messing with me mentally.”

Since then, he’s learned to block out his various injuries.

”It’s gonna hurt,” Jones said. ”But I’m out here. I made the decision to be out here. I don’t care about it hurting.”

Jones’ production dipped this season, part of a wider drop-off under first-year offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, and there have been a few more drops than previous seasons – most notably, what should have been an easy 39-yard touchdown catch in a November loss at Carolina .

But, overall, it’s been another huge season for Jones. He had 88 catches for 1,444 yards – an average of 90.3 per game – and earned second-team honors on The Associated Press All-Pro team.

He’s usually even better in the playoffs.

Last week Germaine Pratt Jersey , he had nine catches for 94 yards and a touchdown with just under 6 minutes remaining that finished off a 26-13 upset of the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.

”It’s win or go home,” Jones said. ”I’m not a numbers guy. Whatever it takes to get the win.”

Jones also got to do a bit of gloating this week after his alma mater won another national championship with a 26-23 overtime victory over Georgia.

Not that he had any doubt about the outcome. Jones didn’t attend the game, even though it was held at the Falcons’ home stadium, and insisted that he went to bed before halftime.

”I was out,” he said. ”I didn’t learn (the score) until the next morning. I was like, `Oh, that was a good game.”’

Someone noticed he wasn’t wearing any Alabama gear.

No need to rub it in, he quipped.

”When you’re accustomed to things,” Jones said, trying to hold back a smile, ”you don’t brag.”

—