The San Francisco 49ers finished last season strong, beating the Dallas Cowboys on the road and looking like one of the biggest dark horses in the NFL for most of the year.
However, as most predicted, poor QB play ended up costing them a trip to the Super Bowl, putting the last nail on Jimmy Garoppolo's coffin as their starter.
John Lynch Thinks Garoppolo Is 'Too Good To Be Cut'
But even though it's clear that the team is looking forward to moving on from him, there's been little to no interest in his services. Still, Niners GM John Lynch doesn't foresee the team cutting him and thinks his shoulder injury is the only thing keeping other teams on the fence about trading for him:
"I don't foresee that," Lynch told ESPN. "He's too good a player. I think Jimmy will be playing for us or will be playing for someone else. He's too good of a player not to be. I think, ultimately, the teams that we were closest with, the surgery gave them pause, and they ended up going in other directions."The Niners Could Keep Him Despite His Salary
Jimmy G is slated to make over $ 26 million next season. Nonetheless, the Niners could still look to keep him under that salary if they fail to find a trade suitor for him:
"We value strength at that position," Lynch said. "To be completely forthright, though, when you make a trade of that magnitude (for Lance), most of our options did not include Jimmy on our books. On our team. But you always have to adapt and a series of events happened that it didn't work out. But that's not a bad thing, though. We feel positive with it. And we'll make it work."Shanahan Raves About Lance
Recently, HC Kyle Shanahan doubled down on his commitment to Lance as the undisputed starter, raving about his maturity and how he's dealt with the transition to the NFL:
"I love that Trey has someone that has been through the battle," Shanahan said during the NFL's owners' meetings. "I can tell him about it and what I've seen with guys but someone who's actually had to go through the ups and downs and have pressures of having a good game, then throwing a pick that loses the next game, how to deal with the media, how to deal with the NFL season. I think it's hard to find a player always that's done it at such a high level that's willing to go through that commitment and stuff. Brian seems all on board. We've had him here for a month and he's been great."The Job Is Lance's To Lose
All things considered, it's not like some competition and veteran mentorship are going to hurt Lance's development. If anything, keeping Jimmy G around could only be good for his growth.
Then again, having a $ 26 million backup on your roster isn't exactly ideal, financially speaking; so look for the Niners to continue pushing for a trade.
]]>The Inquisitr
