Jimmy Garoppolo is slated to be the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers heading into the 2021 season. Everyone on the staff feels he gives the talent-rich roster the best chance to win right now. However, the 49ers declared that his days as the team's starting quarterback are likely numbered when Trey Lance was selected No. 3 overall.
Everyone is trying to predict when Lance might make his first start. Really, there is no rush, though. San Francisco has the luxury of having two quarterbacks it believes in. Lance has the luxury of not being thrown into action before he is fully prepared. The rookie signal-caller has time to make sure he has a solid grasp of head coach Kyle Shanahan's playbook and is mentally prepared to take the reins when the time to do so arrives.
"I don't know when that time is," Lynch told Colin Cowherd on Tuesday. "I think we're going to put both guys out there, open the competition. That will be Kyle's decision. He's the coach of this football team. (We'll) let it kind of play out. But I think the reassuring thing is that we don't have to rush Trey.
"I think sometimes you get in a situation where that's the only thing we have that we believe we can go have a great chance to win week in, week out. We know Jimmy can win, and so that provides a nice luxury, a nice situation where we can really protect our investment in Trey."
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It's possible that Lance blows away the coaches during training camp and proves he is ahead of schedule. For now, everyone remains confident in Garoppolo's abilities.
While other rookie quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will probably get on the field early, there is no pressure for Lance to do the same. The 49ers can afford to hold onto both quarterback contracts this season, and the team is expected to be a playoff contender — maybe even a championship contender.
The 21-year-old Lance gives the 49ers a good chance to continue contending for years to come. Mentally, he needs to prepare himself for the NFL. Neither Lynch nor Shanahan has doubts about Lance's physical gifts or mental capacity.
"And Trey is equipped very well," Lynch continued. "It's part of the thing that drew us toward him both in talent and really the spirit of his makeup. His makeup, I think, is tremendous for that position. He's smart. He's a great leader. He pulls the best out of people around him. So we believe that will come.
"But the nice luxury that we have is we don't have to rush it. He can play when he's ready to give us the best chance, and that will be on Kyle. I think it will be fairly obvious when the time's right, and I think, at that time, he'll be our guy."
San Francisco will begin on-field workouts next week as part of its organized team activities.