San Francisco has already rewarded Jimmy Garoppolo's center with a new contract. Now the organization is taking care of the freshly minted franchise quarterback's go-to receiver.
The 49ers have agreed to terms with Marquise Goodwin on a three-year contract extension worth $20.3 million with $10 million in guarantees, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via sources informed of the situation. Goodwin had outgrown the two-year, $8 million contract signed last March.
A perennial tease early in his career, Goodwin managed just 780 yards on 49 receptions over four years in Buffalo. Too often, he played like a track star lacking the instincts for football.
All of that changed once Garoppolo arrived in the Bay Area as the franchise savior. The two struck up an immediate rapport, as Goodwin posted 962 yards in a breakout season. The former Olympic hopeful was especially effective down the stretch, averaging nearly five receptions and 80 yards in the second half of the season.
Perhaps most promising, Goodwin was no longer just a one-dimensional deep threat in November and December. With Garoppolo under center, he began moving the chains, showing possession-receiver traits to go with his difference-making speed.
For all of that promise, Goodwin's season ended on an ominous note when he took a brutal hit from the Rams' Blake Countess in the season finale. The team's financial commitment is evidence of a full recovery with no outsized concerns going forward.
With Goodwin and Pierre Garcon healthy, Trent Taylor emerging in the slot and tight end George Kittle poised for a breakout campaign of his own, precocious play-caller Kyle Shanahan has enough weapons to keep Garoppolo rolling in the upcoming season. Still, it would surprise no one if the 49ers use their surplus of cap space to pursue a big name at wide receiver in free agency.
