Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the San Francisco 49ers roster. There was some doubt whether or not that would be the case. Reports surfaced that the team might look to trade the quarterback before or during the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 49ers drafted Garoppolo's eventual replacement on Thursday night, selecting Trey Lance of North Dakota State with the No. 3 overall pick. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has repeatedly stated that Garoppolo remains in the 49ers' plans for the upcoming season and is slated to be the team's starter. That will allow the incoming rookie the luxury of sitting and learning behind Garoppolo.
Some might assume the drafting of Lance might lead to some awkwardness in the 49ers' quarterbacks room. After all, Garoppolo is not far removed from helping guide San Francisco to a Super Bowl. Naturally, the situation led to a reporter asking Shanahan about his veteran quarterback.
I'm told Jimmy Garoppolo asked for Trey Lance's number immediately after the pick to welcome him to the team.
If that doesn't say enough about the character of the people on this team, I don't know what does.#49ers
— Keiana Martin (@KeianaMartinTV) April 30, 2021
"Jimmy's situation is, if he isn't here on Sunday, I would be disappointed because Jimmy is a quarterback who has played one year, and took us to a Super Bowl, and played at a very high level," Shanahan said after drafting Lance. "He's had some unfortunate injuries, but I believe in Jimmy as a person, and he's shown what he can do on tape.
"It's obvious what I hope and what I believe with this guy coming in, but it would be a very tough situation if Jimmy's not on our team. I want Jimmy to be here, and I want this kid to be brought along. I want to see how he does. And if it turns into a competition, it turns into a competition. I'd be excited about that, if he showed he was ready for it and stuff. But we know where Jimmy is at.
"[Lance] hasn't played football in a year. He hasn't been to an OTA. I'd love to get him out here. It would be very hard for me to picture a situation (where) Jimmy's not here on Sunday because that would be, I think, very stressful for us because Jimmy's a very good player, and I think we can win with him. So, we'll play that by ear, but I expect Jimmy to be here, and I'd be surprised if he wasn't."
Lance spoke virtually with reporters from Cleveland, Ohio, after being drafted and expressed his excitement to work with Garoppolo and the 49ers' other quarterbacks.
"Right now, I'm just focused on getting there, learning as much as I possibly can, getting to know Jimmy and the guys in the room, and learning, getting to know him, becoming close with him," Lance said. "And like I said, just learning as much as I can. And at that point, obviously competing."