Why the San Francisco 49ers have the perfect of each worlds at quarterback
Anyone who’s followed the career of San Francisco 49 quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo knows perfectly well that he’s not the one to stir the pot.
As quietly as they come from the field without an intimate encounter with a certain film star, Garoppolo just rolls with the punches and carries on.
Because of this, it’s no surprise the Super Bowl signal caller didn’t request a trade or speak publicly after San Francisco traded for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft through the third election. In fact, after it was confirmed that the pick would ultimately be North Dakota State star Trey Lance, Garoppolo was the first to send congratulations to the talented 20-year-old quarterback.
Now that the 2021 NFL draft and associated 49ers drama is in the rearview mirror, Garoppolo will act as a mentor for Lance.
“I try to use my personal experience and exactly what I’ve been through, what has helped me, what has challenged me as a young player. I’ll use the tools that helped me and try to help Trey, ”Garoppolo said recently. “It’s hard to get into this league. I know how it got from an FCS school to the NFL. It’s a small adjustment, the speed, whatever you want to call it, it’s just different. Whatever I can do to help him, I’ll be more than happy. “
Garoppolo as a mentor contradicts what we’ve seen in the past from Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Most recently, Rodgers filed for a deal with the Packers one calendar year after trading with Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft. This also puts the 49ers in a great position – one that’s pretty rare in the football world.
Read more: The San Francisco 49ers are likely to keep Jimmy Garoppolo through the 2021 season
The San Francisco 49ers have something to do with Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance
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Barring a shocking Garoppolo deal over the next few weeks, he’ll be heading to training camp as the starting quarterback for the 49ers. Even after the blockbuster trade climbed from 12 to three – exhausting two future picks and first-round changes – San Francisco’s brass made it clear that Garoppolo fits into his near-term future.
The background is a national media presence that had absolutely no idea what the thinking process of the 49ers was behind the scenes. A 98% Confidence San Francisco Designs Mac Jones. Jimmy Garoppolo will be traded during the 2021 NFL Draft. These are the stories that got thrown out, me too.
Now that we know Lance is the future 49ers quarterback, Garoppolo can move forward with a pretty big monkey on his back. He will try to prove naysayers who have concluded he is injury prone and a mid-sized starter is wrong. Should the Super Bowl quarterback do so, he has a choice of throw when it comes to possible trading scenarios in the next off-season.
In return, the 49ers could do right with their current starter and move him to a team of his choice in the next off-season. It’s pretty similar when San Francisco traded Alex Smith in for the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2012 season after being used on behalf of Colin Kaepernick.
As for Lance, he hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular season game since 2019. With his elite level skills and high soccer IQ, the small school product could be a day 1 starter. Nevertheless, the 49ers can take it easy with Lance without immediately throwing him to the wolves.
Interestingly, this situation could be similar to that of the Kansas City Chiefs when they started out with the aforementioned Alex Smith for a year after trading in for eventual NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mahomes sat for a year before taking over after Smith was handed over to the Washington Football team.
Read more: 2021 NFL Draft: First Round Winners and Losers
Trey Lance is in a great position to do well with the San Francisco 49ers
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To say that San Francisco has an elite skill position group would be an understatement. Broad receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel offer huge windows to throw through. George Kittle is the best close end in the NFL. And after the draft of running back Trey Sermon to mate with the electric Raheem Mostert in the backfield, that position is stacked.
The San Francisco 49ers have also re-signed the future Hall of Fame, tackling Trent Williams while bringing in multiple-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack to shore up a questionable offensive line a season ago. Add on in the presence of offensively minded head coach Kyle Shanahan and there’s no reason to believe Lance won’t be able to take on a starting role in the coming season should it come to that.
As for Garoppolo’s future in San Francisco, it’s unlikely to go beyond the 2021 season. In fact, there is a chance he could be moved during preseason in case another quarterback is injured or Lance outperforms the skilled signal caller.
Right now, Garoppolo will likely have the opportunity to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback for another team. He will do so as an inspiration in hopes of leading San Francisco back to the Super Bowl competition in 2020 after an injury-ridden campaign.
This is the best of both worlds for the San Francisco 49ers.
