The 49ers traded the farm away to move up nine spots in the draft to select Trey Lance, and that’s why many believe that decision marked the end of the Jimmy Garoppolo era in San Francisco.
But Garoppolo remains on the roster, with training camp set to open in just a few weeks.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Jimmy G won’t be moved before the season begins, but given what the 49ers coaching staff has indicated over the past few months, it sure looks like the veteran quarterback isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
It’s possible that Garoppolo could be traded away to a contending team with injury issues late in the season, or maybe the 49ers plan to have him mentor Lance for an entire year. And there’s also no definitive word on who’s on track to start in Week 1.
But Garoppolo appears to be handling the awkward situation quite well. Lance had a lot of positive words about his relationship with the guy he may soon end up replacing.
“Yeah, it’s been awesome,” Lance said, via KVRR. “He’s a great guy. I mean, one of the best people I’ve been around and I’ve been fortunate to be around some, I think, really really great people, guys that are going to play today and guys still in that locker room right now. Jimmy is just like it and that organization is the same exact way. So I just feel very blessed and fortunate to be where I am and be able to be a part of something like this. I’ve heard from other guys’ experiences and how we handled OTAs and things like that, our coaching staff and everyone that runs that organization does it at a really high level.”
Awesome for Lance, sure. As for Garoppolo, well, not so much.