Last month, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan, and chief strategy officer Paraag Marathe discussed the reasons why a trade for then-New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would be a good deal. The 49ers ultimately went through with the trade and sent a second-round draft pick to the Patriots in return for Garoppolo.
"Look, if all you're doing is acquiring a (bargaining) chip that a lot of people see as valuable, then it's a good deal for that," the group decided according to Lynch.
A report earlier this month by Adam Schefter of ESPN indicated the 49ers might be willing to trade their newly acquired quarterback should a better option present itself. That report was overanalyzed to the point where some compared it to the 49ers acquiring Garoppolo merely to trade him later, much like one might flip a house for profit.
While the 49ers reinforced their belief in Garoppolo and his future with the team, no one came out and denied the report by Schefter, who himself went on to clarify.
Lynch now regrets the way that whole situation was perceived.
"That probably was a stupid thing to say," Lynch said on Tuesday.
Lynch went on to say that a decision hasn't been made regarding a starting quarterback for Sunday's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers are coming off of their first victory of the season after losing nine straight games. That win came with rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard leading the 49ers offense.
During the 31-21 win over the New York Giants on November 12, Beathard completed 19 of his 25 pass attempts for 288 yards, two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, an interception, and a passer rating of 123.4. It was the best game of his young NFL career. Shanahan might be willing to go with the hot hand and take his time preparing Garoppolo, who continues to study the playbook and offensive verbiage.
The 49ers will use this week's practices to determine a starting quarterback for Sunday and aren't likely to give anything away until necessary to give themselves a strategic advantage. Until then, Seattle, which is coming off of a short week, will have to prepare for both quarterbacks.
"[Shanahan and I are] both believers that this thing will play itself out," Lynch said.
Lynch stated that the starting quarterback for Sunday's game will be Shanahan's call, but didn't give the impression that there was a rush to get Garoppolo onto the football field. Beathard may be the favorite to play on Sunday and make his fifth NFL start.
Regardless of who starts against the Seahawks, Garoppolo is seen as the 49ers' franchise quarterback.
"We feel he's going to be our guy," Lynch told reporters. However, that may not happen by Sunday.
"Believe me, it's not like we don't want to see Jimmy," Lynch said. "We want him ready so that when he goes in there, we're setting him up for success."
(Thanks to the Sacramento Bee, NBC Sports Bay Area, San Francisco Chronicle, and Niner Fans for the quotes)
