Jimmy Garoppolo, the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback of the last four-and-a-half years, is a locker room favorite. However, the writing has been on the wall all season. The 2021 campaign was always likely to be Garoppolo's last in red and gold. The team surrendered a lot of draft capital to acquire his successor—Trey Lance.
The 49ers made it far with Garoppolo under center—much further than most predicted after a 3-5 start. The team was a handful of plays away from its second Super Bowl appearance in three years. Instead, the Los Angeles Rams will represent the NFC against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
One of Garoppolo's teammates, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, knows that the NFL is a business. But he also knows the players could have created a tough offseason decision for the 49ers had they beaten the Rams in the NFC Championship Game and won the Super Bowl.
"I love Jimmy to death," Samuel told Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday during an interview on ESPN's First Take. "He's the quarterback that I [had] when I first got there, and we've built a big bond, a big chemistry. I knew at the end of the year, it was going to be business decisions made. I think if we would have went to the Super Bowl, and he would have won, then that would have put a lot of pressure on them."
That's not to say that Samuel doesn't have a lot of belief in Lance. The 21-year-old quarterback doesn't have a lot of experience, though. He played in just one game in the 15 months leading to last year's draft. Lance started just two games for the 49ers this past season. He could be asked to lead the offense in 2022, with the team expected to part ways with Lance's mentor and friend, Garoppolo.
"Just looking back, and just seeing what I see in Trey, it's going to take time with him not having as many reps this year," Samuel explained, "to come in and be the guy that I know he can be. But with time, you get better, so I put all my trust in Trey, and whatever Kyle's (Shanahan) plan is, I'm going to just rock with it."
As for Sunday's big game, Samuel predicts that the 49ers' division rival, the Rams, will come out on top.