Peter King of NBC Sports — and everyone else really — is giving Jimmy Garoppolo a lot of credit this offseason for saying and doing all the right things, even as his team brought in his replacement.
Garoppolo has been the unchallenged starter since his first game appearance after being traded from New England to San Francisco in 2017. He was seen as the quarterback of the future, and in the ensuing offseason, was handed a contract that solidified that.
Three years later, his successor is on the roster. The 49ers traded up to No. 3 overall to select Trey Lance of North Dakota State. Understandably, Garoppolo wasn't happy about the decision.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have been honest with their veteran quarterback. The plan remains for him to be the starter, and the decision, really, had a lot to do with Garoppolo's inability to stay healthy over the last few years.
"I'm sure Jimmy was a little pissed off from it, just like I would be, too," Shanahan told reporters in March, "but me knowing Jimmy, he'll be fired up and come in, and he'll work his butt off. Knowing Jimmy, the more mad Jimmy gets, usually, the better he gets. So, if Jimmy just gets madder and he stays healthy, I mean, this is going to be a good thing for Jimmy, too, which could be a great problem for the 49ers."
King feels that Garoppolo will thrive with the added pressure. In fact, if the veteran quarterback can remain healthy, he feels Garoppolo will be good enough to keep Lance off the field for most or all of the 2021 season.
"My money's on Jimmy G, if healthy, holding off Lance for most if not all this season," King wrote in his Football Morning in America feature. "Lance can learn a lot from him."
Added King: "I think I give Jimmy Garoppolo credit for being so welcoming to Trey Lance in San Francisco. Lance said Garoppolo told him it would be 'awesome to have another FCS guy in the room.'"
Garoppolo was the first 49ers player to reach out to Lance after the team drafted the rookie quarterback. He's also fine serving as a mentor for the young signal-caller.
"I try to use my own personal experiences and just what I went through, what helped me, what challenged me as a young player," Garoppolo recently told ESPN. "I'm going to use those tools that helped me and try to help Trey out. It's hard to come into this league. I know how it was coming from an FCS school to the NFL. It's a bit of an adjustment, the speed, whatever you want to call it, it's just different. So, whatever I can do to help, him I'll be more than happy."
San Francisco begins its organized team activities on May 24. That's when rookies and veterans will first be allowed to practice together.
