The San Francisco 49ers have been trying all offseason to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. After helping lead the team to the NFC Championship game in each of his last two healthy seasons, once making it to the Super Bowl, the 49ers are ready to move on from him as their starter.
The plan, right now, is to start Trey Lance. Lance was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State. He needed some time to develop his skill set as the jump from the FCS level to the NFL is a drastic one.
Lance made some spot starts last season and looked a little overwhelmed when it came to the passing game. His legs are a legitimate weapon, but his game is far from a finished product. It has sounded like more of the same this offseason, as Lance reportedly hasn’t looked great.
While all signs have pointed to this being Lance’s job, some people aren’t sure if that will be the case some the regular season. Cris Collinsworth is one analyst that believes Garoppolo will ultimately start games for the 49ers this season.
“I would not discount Jimmy Garoppolo starting games for this team,” Collinsworth said via a recent episode of his podcast.
For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, that fell one game short of making the big game again last season, it was a bit surprising to see them so willing to make a quarterback change. Garoppolo has his shortcomings, but he has proven he can get the job done and making two NFCGC is not a fluke.
It is a big risk moving to Lance as the starter, especially if he isn’t ready to handle the job. Yo-yoing both players between starter and backup would certainly not be ideal. If Lance is their guy, they need to find a place to send Garoppolo to make things easier on everyone involved.
Finding a landing spot for Jimmy Garoppolo, however, is easier said than done. There aren’t many teams around the league still looking for a quarterback, as the Carolina Panthers may be the only logical spot remaining for Garoppolo to land.
