Jimmy Garoppolo could have waited and cashed in even more than he did after other quarterbacks re-set the market.

The San Francisco 49ers could have used a franchise tag instead of making a long-term commitment to make sure Garoppolo was worth a hefty investment after only seven NFL starts.

But both sides wanted this resolved quickly  Rex Burkhead Jersey , and did so with a contract that will pay Garoppolo a record $27.5 million per season over the next five years.

"This is where I want to be, honestly," Garoppolo said at a news conference Friday. "I wanted to get this deal done as fast as possible. It will only help our team going forward going into free agency. … I wanted to be here. I was excited to be here. I'm happy we got it done as fast as we did."

Garoppolo's $137.5 million contract has the richest annual value in NFL history, topping the deal Detroit's Matthew Stafford signed last year by $500,000 a season.

The deal includes nearly $49 million that is full guaranteed, more than $74 million guaranteed for injury and more than $86 million that will be paid out over the first three seasons.

The franchise tag could have been a safer option for both sides, leading to more money for Garoppolo if he kept playing at the high level he showed this past season and more protection for the 49ers if he didn't reach that level.

But neither side was eager to go that direction.

"We became convinced we had that as an option, but we didn't want to use it," general manager John Lynch said. "We wanted to make Jimmy a 49er for a long, long time. Do you have to have some faith for that? Absolutely. But he earned that faith we had for him. I know it wasn't a super long time but we felt we had a really good grasp on the talent and that was only confirmed when he got here."

San Francisco acquired Garoppolo from New England before the trade deadline for a 2018 second-round pick. As soon as he took the field a few weeks later, he immediately turned around a franchise that started the year with a 1-10 record.

Garoppolo took over as starter and led San Francisco to five straight wins to end the season. He completed 67.4 percent of his passes this season, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt with seven TDs, five interceptions and a 96.2 rating.

Among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts last season  Lawrence Taylor Jersey , Garoppolo ranked first in yards per attempt, fourth in completion percentage. His 308.4 yards passing per game in his five starts also would have led the league had he played a full season.

Now he will have a full offseason to completely learn coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, which could lead to even more production.

"Now the rush isn't quite the same," Shanahan said. "He can start from the beginning and start from the first page and not the 50th page. He can get a better foundation. When you have a better foundation of where you're coming from and learning, it gives you a chance to play at a higher level."

Garoppolo has won all seven starts in his career, including two in New England to start the 2016 season when Brady was suspended for his role in "Deflategate." Only four other quarterbacks since the 1970 merger won their first seven starts, with Ben Roethlisberger the most recent to do it with 15 wins in a row in the regular season for Pittsburgh in 2004-05. Garoppolo's 2,038 yards passing in his first seven starts are the fourth most among all quarterbacks since 1970.

The deal still leaves the 49er with more than $60 million in salary cap room, according to executive vice president Paraag Marathe, with several more holes to fill. The most glaring needs are upgrading the skill position players and interior of the offensive line, and finding a big-time pass rusher and cornerbacks to help the defense.

Lynch said he plans to be "aggressively prudent" with that money but believes this deal will help sell the organization to potential free agents, including some who played for San Francisco this past year.

"One of the reasons for the urgency, if there was some for us  Cameron Meredith Jersey , was heading into free agency this is a big deal," Lynch said. "It's 75 degrees and sunny outside. We have this guy. Who wouldn't want to be here? We want to become a destination where everyone wants to be."

—

Kevin Durant helped the defending champions get defensive in a hurry, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Golden State Warriors returned to their old dominant selves at playoff time to beat the cold-shooting San Antonio Spurs 113-92 on Saturday.

Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson took charge in Game 1 of the first-round series to elevate the Warriors' intensity at last playing without fellow All-Star and injured two-time MVP Stephen Curry, sidelined since March 23 with a sprained left knee.

Thompson found his shot and scored 27 points, making 11 of 13 shots, while 7-footer JaVale McGee started in Steve Kerr's center-by-committee approach and contributed 15 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 16 minutes.

Rudy Gay led the Spurs with 15 points off the bench as leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge was limited to 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night at Oracle Arena.

76ERS 130, HEAT 103

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Ben Simmons had 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in his playoff debut, and Philadelphia romped again without Joel Embiid, beating Miami for its 17th straight win.

Embiid was a spectator in Game 1 of the first-round series because of a broken orbital bone around his left eye. The All-Star center has been hopeful he can return early in the series. The Sixers could end this one early with Embiid back in the lineup.

Simmons dished and dazzled in the paint and the Heat had no answer for Sixers reserves Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova. Belinelli and Ilyasova combined to hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter that helped shift the tone from physical and foul-filled to a long-distance game that allowed the Sixers to put away this one. They used a 15-0 run in the third in their first postseason game in five seasons under coach Brett Brown to get the rout rolling.

JJ Redick scored 28 points to lead the Sixers  Trevor Siemian Jersey , who host Game 2 on Monday. Belinelli had 25 and Ilyasova 17.

RAPTORS 114, WIZARDS 106

TORONTO (AP) – Serge Ibaka had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Delon Wright scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Toronto snapped a 10-game losing streak in playoff series openers by beating Washington.

DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, C.J. Miles and OG Anunoby each had 12, and Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists for the Raptors, whose only previous victory in the opening game of a playoff series came in the second round against Philadelphia in 2001.

Toronto entered having lost an NBA-worst 10 consecutive Game 1s since, including six at home.

The top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, Toronto made 16 of 30 3-point attempts, with Miles making four, and Ibaka and Wright each hitting three.

The Raptors host Game 2 on Tuesday.

John Wall had 23 points and 15 assists for the Wizards, while Markieff Morris had 22 points and 11 rebounds.

PELICANS 97, TRAIL BLAZERS 95

PORTLAND  Armani Watts Jersey , Ore. (AP) – Anthony Davis had 35 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and New Orleans beat Portland in Game 1 of their playoff series.

Jrue Holiday added 21 points, outplaying both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and had a big blocked shot in the closing seconds as New Orleans held on after Portland erased almost all of a 19-point deficit.

Rajon Rondo finished with 17 assists, eight rebounds and six points as New Orleans won the backcourt battle on top of Davis dominating the interior.

Lillard finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while McCollum had 19 points.

The sixth-seeded Pelicans were the only road team to win on the opening day of the NBA playoffs. Nikola Mirotic had 16 points, 11 rebounds and also blocked four shots to help Davis earn the first victory of his playoff career.

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