How Trey Lance Reacted To The News Of Garoppolo Returning To 49ers
Aug 30, 2022, 2:29 PM | Updated: 2:29 pm
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Following the 49ers‘ shocking move to keep former starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster, signing him to a restructured one-year deal Monday, the decision to do so seemed like a no-brainer for head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
As for Trey Lance, the management duo confirmed he is the starter for the 2022 season and beyond, adding Garoppolo would only be back with the team as a backup. Lance was also made aware of the possibility of Jimmy G staying on as backup over the last month, showing no qualms with the decision.
“Trey was great, there was no problems with it at all,” Shanahan said. “When you have a quarterback room where people like each other, it makes it fun to come to work… I know that those dudes do like each other.”
The roles have reversed from last season, as Garoppolo will now mentor Trey Lance from the sideline, instead of by example. Some might view this as a bad move for the team, having the ex-starter looking over the shoulder of the new guy, but Shanahan doesn’t, seeing no difference in the results, in terms of a narrative, from last year to this year.
“So I don’t see any difference. I think the quarterback position is really tough. And no matter what when if you don’t win games, that stuff’s gonna come. And yeah, if you have a guy on the bench who’s done it, yeah, that’s what the narrative is going to be to put him in. If you had a rookie who hasn’t done it before the narrative is going to be to put the rookie and see what you got. If you got a guy who’s never played before, usually the backup quarterbacks always the most popular guy. So no, I don’t see a difference. I see different stories but I see the same results,” Shanahan explained.
Despite coming off shoulder surgery to his throwing arm, Shanahan and Lynch confirmed that Jimmy will be the No.2 quarterback on the depth chart for week 1 in Chicago.
“Jimmy is in great shape and ready to go,” Shanahan added.
Outside of the two starting-caliber QBs, the competition for the No.3 spot became ever more open, with Lynch relaying rookie Brock Purdy won the job over Nate Sudfeld.
READ MORE FROM SACTOWN SPORTS: Lynch, Shanahan Confident Garoppolo Will Be A Good Mentor for Trey Lance
Brock Purdy has made the 49ers' 53-man roster. Their three QBs:
Trey Lance
Jimmy Garoppolo
Brock Purdy— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) August 30, 2022
“If Jimmy Garoppolo had not accepted the pay cut to remain with the team, the 49ers would have gone with Brock Purdy as QB 2,” Shanahan said.
Mr. Irrelevant in this year’s draft, Purdy impressed the team with his accuracy and poise during the three preseason contests, putting up 182 passing yards against the Houston Texans last week. The coaching staff was happy with Sudfeld but it became clear Purdy was their guy moving forward.
“We were really happy with Nate, but Brock won that job,” Shanahan stated.
