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Much of the San Francisco 49ers offseason has been about veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who said his farewell to the 49ers media following the 2021 season, but remains on the roster three months later due to a variety of reasons.
However, that spotlight should be directed to Trey Lance, whose been continuously working on his craft this offseason, first with quarterback coach Quincy Avery before his current training with coach John Beck, to best prepare himself for the 2022 season.
With the uncertainty at the quarterback position currently, as the front office has said they're comfortable rostering Jimmy Garoppolo for 2022, have the 49ers' front office failed Trey Lance?
At the moment, they haven't failed their rookie quarterback.
Last week, when speaking at the NFL's annual meeting, head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed a significant amount of confidence in Trey Lance, sharing the belief that despite the current quarterback situation, the player that San Francisco invested three first-round picks in will be leading the offense in 2022.
Every detail has pointed to Garoppolo being off the roster prior to the beginning of the season. The 49ers signed quarterback Nate Sudfeld to a one-year deal worth $2 million guaranteed, signifying their trust in him as their backup quarterback. Garoppolo said his own farewell. The 49ers have continuously attempted to move him, and judging by Lynch and Shanahan's words, will continue to do so.
However, if Jimmy Garoppolo is on this roster in 2022, then that conversation changes.
Lance is already under extreme pressure, expecting to replicate the success San Francisco had under Garoppolo to quiet critics, and a starting-caliber quarterback looking over his shoulder on the sidelines following every mistake would only worsen the situation, whereas young quarterbacks would normally be able to learn and move forward to the next rep.
Additionally, the 49ers will be continuing their charade of not committing to either quarterback, which would hinder their 2022 roster and potentially waste another year of Lance's rookie contract, which is the prime window for San Francisco to contend for a Super Bowl. Remember, in each of the past five Super Bowls, one of the teams had a quarterback on their rookie deal: Joe Burrow(2021), Patrick Mahomes(2019,2020), Jared Goff(2018), and Carson Wentz(2017).
Moving Garoppolo would free $25.5 million in cap space, which could be used to sign San Francisco's draft class, as well as some extra money for the extensions of Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa, while providing the necessary cap for a mid-season acquisition. Moreover, following the draft, the 49ers could still look to free agency to fill the holes they still had on their roster with the available cap space from a Garoppolo move.
Given their minimal cap space, if the 49ers keep Garoppolo, they'd also be jeopardizing their future, as it would call for more restructures for the necessary cap space to sign their draft class.
So, has the front office failed Trey Lance and the 49ers yet? No. But, keeping Garoppolo on the roster would be a mistake, not only for Lance's development, but also for the team's future.
49ers sign WR Trent Taylor, reuniting with former draft pick
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
Draft Watch: Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley visiting 49ers on Wednesday
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Rapoport: 49ers send clear message to teams inquiring about Brandon Aiyuk
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
7-round mock draft from The Athletic sees 49ers fortifying defense early
By David Bonilla
Apr 17
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
