San Francisco 49ers players are gearing up for a quarterback change after four-and-a-half years of locker-room favorite Jimmy Garoppolo leading the offense. Garoppolo was part of a team that fell just one game short of another Super Bowl appearance and made a move last offseason to acquire his successor.
The 49ers invested a lot to draft Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick, surrendering first-round picks in the successive drafts to trade up to acquire the young quarterback.
Outside the building, the sense is that change is quickly approaching. Last week, Garoppolo even sounded like a player who does not expect to return, saying his goodbyes to reporters and fans. Does Elijah Mitchell, the team's rookie running back and leading rusher this past season, feel everything is pointing toward a Garoppolo-49ers divorce?
"Yeah, that's the sense I get," Mitchell admitted to Jim Rome on Monday during an interview on the CBS Sports Radio show.
Mitchell added: "Just as a teammate, Jimmy, he's unbelievable. Things going bad in the game, he's been a leader, pumping us up. He's always positive about it. His head's never down. People don't give him enough credit. He's an awesome quarterback, and I love Jimmy."
Mitchell added that the media isn't in the locker room with the players. That makes it easier for them to criticize the veteran quarterback.
"Everybody's going to say what they want to say," the running back commented, "but at the end of the day, Jimmy's an awesome quarterback."
On Wednesday, Deebo Samuel spoke with Rome, who asked why Garoppolo doesn't receive the same respect from fans and the media that he gets from his teammates.
Samuel pointed to Garoppolo playing through pain to help his team win as part of his response. First, the quarterback suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb during Week 16 but only missed one game. Then he suffered a right shoulder sprain in the playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys, won that game, then another at frigid Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, and nearly beat the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
"He's out there playing through whatever it takes, and we're still winning with him," Samuel said. "Just imagine if he was healthy all year long, what he would be capable of doing."
Samuel noted Mitchell's earlier comments about Garoppolo.
"He's a rookie, so just imagine how much respect I have for him and the things that I've seen him go through in the past three years," Samuel added. "It's just the energy that he just brings and the fearless mindset that he has to play through anything to help the team."
The two offensive players also discussed Lance and the progress of the 21-year-old quarterback. Lance only started two games this past season but was a diligent worker on the scout team and a student of the game.
"Trey, he has a lot to learn, but he's going to be awesome," Mitchell said. "And I know he's going to grind this offseason, and it's going to be an unbelievable year for us."
Samuel admits that Lance's inexperience could mean patience is required, should the quarterback step into the starting role. However, Lance benefitted from a year of learning from Garoppolo.
"I think Jimmy played a great role in being with Trey, of showing him the ropes of what Kyle (Shanahan) expects," Samuel said. "I think it was a good year for Trey to actually learn how the league goes.
"And me, personally, I feel like Trey could be a superstar in this league once he understands how to practice, and the mindset, and the amount of studying that you need to do to be able to win games in this league."
No one inside the 49ers building seems to have any doubts about Lance's ability to grasp the offense. He'll just need more experience running the system. That will likely come in 2022.
"Just by seeing him, he was very locked in, and he was always asking questions, always being prepared like he was going to play," Mitchell added. "So that's big when it comes down to that."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Mitchell below.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Samuel below.