Former Eastern star quarterback  Jimmy Garoppolo may finally be getting his long awaited chance to be an NFL team’s featured quarterback after  he was traded Monday by the New England Patriots to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Garoppolo has spent the last three seasons playing backup to future hall-of-famer Tom Brady in New England and it is expected he will see more playing time with the 49ers who are currently last in the NFC West with an 0-8 record.

Garoppolo’s name has been swirling in the rumor mill as a trade candidate for quite some time as the 25-year-old has appeared in 17 NFL games in his three seasons, sporting a quarterback rating of 106.2 in those games.

It had been unclear for months whether or not the Patriots would part-ways with the talented young arm of Garoppolo, as he has been assumed to be the successor of Tom Brady who is currently playing in his age 40 season. However, with Brady showing no signs of slowly down with age and Garoppolo’s contract expiration looming in the future, it made him a piece hard for teams looking for quarterback stability to ignore.

Insert the 49ers and their quarterback issues rivaled only by the hapless Cleveland Browns.

San Francisco’s quarterback situation has been about what you’d expect from a team that rolls into the season’s second half win less.

Quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathheard have headlined the 49ers at the position this season, in a passing offense that ranks second-to-last in the NFL with a 71.0 quarterback rating and a 56.2 completion percentage.

The 49ers are expected to pick fairly high in the 2018 draft adding extra value to the pick they sent to New England in the trade, meaning the 49ers probably feel they found their solution to their struggles at quarterback.

The ceiling for Garoppolo is potentially that of a perennial pro-bowl quarterback which is why the 49ers would be willing to part with a pick of that calibur.

For the Patriots, the move leaves them with no quarterback behind the 40-year-old Brady on the roster.

Garoppolo will be paired with offensive minded first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan in San Francsico. Giving birth to quarterback-coach combination that, if it works in favor of San Francisco, could bring a sixth championship to the city by the bay in the future.

49ers fans would love to see Garoppolo join the teams rich history of quarterbacks (is it bad to mention him with Joe Montana and Steve Young this early?), and he certainly has the tools to someday reach that peak. But, in the meanitme, the 49ers would hope to see the young quarterback blend quickly into Shanahan’s offense.

Whether or not he is the next Montana or Young, as long as Garoppolo performs at just a league average level for the 49ers, he will offer immediate relief to San Francisco fans waiting for a reason to fill the seats at the beautiful Levi Stadium.

JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]