Many are questioning what the news of Jimmy Garoppolo undergoing shoulder surgery does for the veteran quarterback's trade value. However, it does nothing for his trade status, meaning the San Francisco 49ers still plan to part ways with their starting quarterback of the past four-and-a-half seasons and usher in the Trey Lance era.
Most expect Lance to be the 49ers' starter in 2022. General manager John Lynch joined Good Morning Football from Indianapolis this morning, speaking with Peter Schrager. From the sound of things, the Niners are confident in their 21-year-old quarterback's ability to lead head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
"We're so fond of Jimmy, and that situation is active. It's fluid," Lynch said. "You're here, a lot of teams have interest in him. It's pretty obvious we put a lot into Trey Lance, and we're loving the development of Trey. Trey had an outstanding first year. A lot of people say, 'How can you say that? He barely played.' But the development was tremendous.
"I think Kyle did a great job of finding ways to develop him without playing a ton of football on Sundays. I think the fact that he got some action and got to go get a taste of it was great. And I loved watching him get better in those games."
Last offseason, the 49ers shocked the NFL world, trading a haul of draft capital to move up to select Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. The move announced to the world that Lance was the future, and Garoppolo's time in red and gold was coming to an end.
"I tell people he's everything we thought he was when we traded a lot to go get him, and more, and I really believe that," Lynch continued. "And so, there's a ton of excitement. Of course, there's some unknown. There always is in this game. But Trey is made of the right stuff, both talent-wise and in his spirit. Who he is, the intangibles. Guys like playing for him, guys like being around him, and we're certainly excited to see what he can do."
Last season, Lance started just two games, playing in 178 total in-game snaps through his six game appearances. Most of the quarterback's development was in the classroom and leading the scout team during practices. Lance helped the defense prepare for game days by serving as each week's opposing quarterback.
"He definitely had his 'wow' moments," Lynch added. "You could see the development, the confidence. You're on scout team, oftentimes, you're asked, 'Hey, go ahead, throw this ball in there.' But then he would, and it would still get in there. I think he attacked it the right way.
"I keep talking about his mental capabilities. He can handle a lot, and I think he's just got that makeup that the great ones do. We only hope he can be Patrick Mahomes or anything close to that, and he's going to get his chance to go show that."
.@49ers GM John Lynch on the future of Jimmy G and the progress he's seen from Trey Lance.
"He's everything we thought he was when we traded a lot to go get him." pic.twitter.com/w5Sf0MzJLd
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 2, 2022
