“We didn’t draft Trey Lance to just fix this year” - 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan hints at sticking with Jimmy Garoppolo as starter

Jimmy Garoppolo's relationship with the San Francisco 49ers is weird to say the least.

When Jimmy G was traded to the 49ers from New England, he was seen as the quarterback to bring a Super Bowl to the franchise. Garoppolo's best chance came in 2019, when he led the 49ers to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl appearance, only to lose dramatically to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. That year, Garoppolo threw for 3,978 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

On Wednesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the drafting of Lance, who is currently out with a knee injury. Shanahan stated that the organization is more worried about his health, and does not want to throw him in the deep end and start him when he's not ready.

“We didn’t draft Trey to just fix this year,” Shanahan said via CBS. “We drafted him so he could be the quarterback of the future and that’s a matter of time. We are not playing him just because what our record is, or just because.

“That’s why our first discussion is how healthy is he and how is he going to look today. Just because of how our last four games have gone, it doesn’t really affect if we’re going to play Trey or not.”

It was thought that Garoppolo and the 49ers would improve and become one of the best teams in the NFC. Well, that has not happened. Injuries to a host of key players last season and this year as well have contributed to that. However, in the offseason, the 49ers organization made a very surprising decision.

They essentially drafted Garoppolo's future replacement with the third pick of the 2021 Draft when they selected Trey Lance. This, to some, was surprising given that Garoppolo is only 29 years old. However, his injury record is perhaps the biggest factor.

Lance is for the future, Garoppolo for the present

Given the state of Garoppolo's quarterback play this season, many fans, media personalities and the like have said that Shanahan and the 49ers need to make Lance the starter, much like the Chicago Bears have done with Justin Fields.

The way Fields has fared so far is perhaps the reason behind Lance not being thrust into the starting job. Shanahan said it wouldn't be fair to put Lance in that position.

“You don’t just do that because you’re not playing the way you want to play and think you’re going to put a rookie in and think he’s going to be the answer to everything,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think that’s fair to him and I don’t think that’s right for the team.

“I don’t think it’s the right time for him to start full time right now, especially when I don’t know if he can get through practice today. I want to see if he’s healthy today first. And then when he’s healthy, for more than one day, then we will see when it will be the best time for him.”

One thing is for sure, Lance is the future for the 49ers and sitting back for a while isn't a bad thing. Just ask Patrick Mahomes.

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