Arlington Heights' Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers: Road To Super Bowl LIV

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — NFL quarterback and Arlington Heights native Jimmy Garoppolo will soon head to Miami with the rest of the San Francisco 49ers to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 2 in Super Bowl LIV. The Rolling Meadows High School grad and his team are that much closer to snagging the Lombardi Trophy after stomping on the Green Bay Packers 37-20 during Sunday's NFC Championship game in San Francisco.

While the 49ers' last Super Bowl appearance was in 2012, they haven't won the big championship game since 1994, according to CBS Sports. However, it's the first time in 50 years that the Chiefs have made it to the Super Bowl.

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Garoppolo's upcoming Super Bowl start comes two years after he signed a deal that was, at the time, the largest annual payout in NFL history. His contract was reportedly for five years and $137.5 million.

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The two quarterbacks at the center of Super Bowl LIV are young leaders in the NFL and can expect all eyes to be on them leading up to and on Feb. 2. Patrick Mahomes is the face of the Chiefs at age 24, while Garoppolo is 28. The last time the two played against each other was back in Week 3 of the 2018 season, when Garoppolo suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

While the Chicago Bears didn't make it to the playoffs this year, Bears fans can cheer on former team members, including two who had impressive performances during during Sunday's NFC Championship game. Running back Raheem Mostert and kicker Robbie Gould were responsible for all 37 of San Francisco's points. Be sure to watch for these other Super Bowl stars from Illinois:

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