Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle really did everyone a solid, transcribing much of what general manager John Lynch said on Monday morning at the NFL owners meetings. If you haven't already checked out his thorough transcription, you can find it here.
I've already covered much of what Lynch said about the Jimmy Garoppolo situation. You can read about that here and here. What of last year's No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, though? With so much focus on Garoppolo and his short-term future, it's easy to lose sight of anything else.
Upon drafting Lance, the 49ers' plan was always to start Garoppolo in 2021 and allow their inexperienced rookie the time he needed to learn the offense and what it means to compete as an NFL quarterback. Lance has shown great maturity along the way and, if the 49ers are to be believed, significant growth.
That doesn't mean Lance is where the 49ers want him to be. It's March. No one is expecting that yet. The team hasn't even reconvened on the practice field yet. We still have minicamps, OTAs, training camp, and everything else that prepares players for the rigors of the upcoming season.
Lynch expects to see significant growth from Lance this offseason. The team wouldn't have invested so much draft capital last year to acquire the young quarterback if it didn't believe he could be a productive asset.
"Our expectation is that Trey will continue to improve," Lynch said via Branch. "I think everything factors in. That's such an important spot on your team. But as I've said, we're thrilled with what Trey has shown already and where we know he is going to go.
"And the opportunity for growth in the offseason program, that's just vital. Those 10,000 reps, he needs them. He'll have that opportunity this offseason, as we will as a team."
As for Garoppolo, his remaining on the team, for now, shouldn't impact Lance's offseason growth. Garoppolo underwent shoulder surgery on March 8 and isn't expected to be able to throw until early July. That's a significant reason why he isn't on another roster. He's recovering.
"The great news is that we're extremely positive, as I've said, as Kyle's said, on Trey's progress," Lynch added. "This offseason, he'll have ample opportunity. Jimmy won't be ready until training camp. And Trey will have ample opportunity, as well as Nate (Sudfeld), to get plenty of reps. And we're looking forward to that process."
