Which San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Ought to Begin Week 1?

The San Francisco 49ers made headline after headline this offseason, and most of the news focused on the quarterback position. This quarterback controversy has divided the fan base and sparked extremely fiery debates. Right now it’s about who should start week 1.

Let’s take a step back and think about why the 49ers needed a new quarterback. Is it just because Jimmy Garoppolo is unable to stay healthy? No. That’s just a small fraction of the thinking behind it.

Even most loyal fans don’t realize that they were subconsciously looking for an upgrade. When the 49ers announced that they would advance to third place in the draft, the social media storm began.

49ers fans were deeply angry that a media narrative was created about Mac Jones being the better system for Kyle Shanahan. If the 49ers had drafted Jones it would have been interesting to see the backlash. The 49ers fans called for a mobile quarterback.

If you’re still not convinced the 49ers were looking to upgrade over Garoppolo, check out Shanahan’s comments on the quarterbacks. Shanahan publicly expressed how intrigued he is with Kirk Cousins, suggesting that Cousins ​​is a great quarterback. And he couldn’t hold back the excitement when the 49ers called Trey Lance. The comments on Lance’s maturity, which Lance compare to a CEO, clearly show what Shanahan wants.

The 49ers’ front office has always believed how much they believe in Garoppolo. They keep saying that Garoppolo is the starter and refer to his record.

But there’s no way of telling what the 49ers front office is actually thinking. It is not the organization’s obligation to share everything. You must act in the best interests of the organization. So we have to decipher it ourselves.

Just hours before the NFL draft, everyone was shocked to learn that Aaron Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay.

The media linked the 49ers to virtually every quarterback move during the off-season, but officially the organization does not recognize any of them. Ironically, both Shanahan and Lynch admitted to asking about Rodgers with the Packers. If Packers were to continue trading, it is difficult to guess the nature of the deal, but it can be assumed that the trading scenario had no room for Garoppolo as a backup quarterback.

While it would appear that the majority of the fan base leans towards the idea of ​​having a mobile quarterback who can reveal the full potential of Shanahan’s offensive, it is puzzling to start Garoppolo to begin Week 1.

How Garoppolo’s restrictions cost the Super Bowl is often addressed. Let us consider a comparable situation.

In the 2020 NFC championship game, the Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur decided to score a field goal in a fourth and long situation when Green Bay was 31-23 in the fourth quarter, just two minutes behind. We all know what happened next. The Packers never got the ball back and ended up losing 31-26. LaFleur was heavily criticized for kicking the field goal instead of taking a risk. They all asked for the same answer.

“Why did you score a field goal when Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback?”

Let’s not try to answer this question, but a different one.

What if the 49ers were in the same situation? Would you blame Shanahan’s decision to kick the field goal if Garoppolo is the quarterback?

The first reaction to this is that it is unfair to compare Garoppolo to a future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers. Unfortunately, it is not an issue of fairness. It’s about owning an elite quarterback to increase your chances of winning the Super Bowl.

Out of 55 Super Bowls played to date, the winning team has had Hall of Fame quarterback 43 times. During the past decade, only two average quarterbacks won the Super Bowl: Joe Flacco and Nick Foles. An ordinary player in the crucial position can destroy the shot to glory.

There is another argument against Lance from week 1 onwards, namely that he needs time to learn Shanahan’s complex offensive plan. This argument is logically flawed. In comparison, the Garoppolo trade took place in week 8 of the 2017 season. In week 12, Garoppolo started for the 49ers and won five games on the track. Lance has already been spending valuable time in training camp with the preseason games opening to fit in.

Lance should start week 1 when he’s ready. And if history is any clue, he’ll be ready.