The San Francisco 49ers insist that Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t going anywhere, even after using a high draft pick to snag one of the draft’s top quarterbacks.
The 49ers had sparked speculation that Garoppolo’s days were numbered when they traded up to the No. 3 overall pick, where they were expected to take a quarterback. Though San Francisco followed through on snagging a signal caller, the team insisted on Thursday that Jimmy G is still in their plans and will likely go into next season as the starter.
49ers Take Lance
With the No. 4 overall pick, the 49ers selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. Prior to the draft, Lance had drawn comparisons to Josh Allen in that both were seen as highly skilled but raw, needing some time to adjust to the NFL.
That seems to have cooled speculation that the 49ers would be trading Garoppolo. Broncos beat writer Rob Lowder noted on Twitter that Denver has already publicly committed to Garoppolo.
“Kyle Shanahan said he’d be disappointed and stressed if Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t on the team by Sunday,” he wrote. “He wants Jimmy on the team to compete with Trey Lance, if that’s how it developed through the offseason. They don’t want to be forced to accelerate Lance’s development.”
Lance Pick A Surprise
The pick came as something of a surprise. As ESPN noted, there had been speculation that the 49ers wanted Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, and coach Kyle Shanahan said it was a close call.
“We have been very high on Trey since the very beginning, since Day 1. Yes, the person everyone else is speculating about, we liked him, too,” Shanahan said in reference to talk about drafting Jones. “To go through this whole process where no one has known how John and I feel and felt this whole time, we do that because you don’t want to sway people in this building. You want everyone to work their butts off and give you their honest info. That’s why we don’t share at all how we felt.”
Lance Likely The Future
It is not clear just how long San Francisco’s commitment to Garoppolo could extend, however. As ESPN noted, the team made a significant investment to snag Lance, giving away much to move up to No. 3. The report pointed out that their pick represented the earliest that a team one year removed from a Super Bowl has drafted a quarterback.
With such a high investment, there would likely be an expectation that Lance takes the keys to the offense sooner rather than later.
Garoppolo To Play Key Role
As the USA Today’s Niners Wire noted, Garoppolo is still expected to start in 2021, and will lead a team with many of the pieces in place from the Super Bowl run in 2019. That could mean that Lance sits for an entire season, an approach that the Kansas City Chiefs took in bringing Patrick Mahomes along.
“In the meantime, Garoppolo can function as a quality starter still capable of taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl,” the report noted. “That’s their goal for 2021, and it’s hard to imagine a rookie stepping in and doing that. Even a player as talented as Lance.”
