Jimmy Garoppolo has played well for the San Francisco 49ers over the past two games, earning his two highest Pro Football Focus grades of the season. Since Week 8, the veteran quarterback has completed over 66 percent of his passes for 648 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Still, many wonder why Garoppolo is still starting. The 49ers' season is in shambles, and their playoff hopes are diminishing further with each heartbreaking loss.
Garoppolo probably won't be on the team next year. San Francisco traded a haul of draft capital to move up to select Trey Lance. The rookie quarterback is the future, not Garoppolo. Yet Lance stands on the sidelines, trying to learn from observing. Some would rather see him learn by doing, even if that means making mistakes in the process.
The 49ers are losing anyway. Would fans rather see Garoppolo, who won't be here next season, play well while losing, or Lance take his lumps but learn and potentially be better prepared for next season?
Regardless of which side you are on, there is no doubt that Lance would benefit from some in-game experience. He made occasional appearances early on but has zero snaps over the past three games. Of course, he was inactive due to a knee sprain for one of those games. He was coming off the injury for another. Lance had no snaps in the 49ers' most recent outing, a 31-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
One NFL star turned analyst, Michael Irvin, believes the 49ers need to involve Lance more moving forward.
"I don't care how the rest of [the season] goes or how you want to play the rest of it out," Irvin told Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto on 95.7 The Game. "The rest of it ... however it will fall, must involve Trey Lance getting reps. You can say that no matter what.
"Right now, I don't care what [is happening in] the game, how it's going, where it is, what stage [it's on], 'We're going to give him some reps.' That's the statement I think they should be making, and that's the direction I think they should be going in, bar none."
The 49ers have nine games remaining in the season. They will host the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night before embarking on a stretch that includes matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Cincinnati Bengals.
San Francisco closes out the season against the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, and a rematch with the Rams.
What Irvin admires most about Lance, aside from the 21-year-old's athletic ability, is his confidence. The analyst believes any poor rookie outings will be seen as a learning experience by the young quarterback and not stunt his growth as a player.
Irvin added, "I don't think you have to worry about that with Trey Lance."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Irvin below.