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No one is 100 percent positive about what will happen with the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation. Most expect
Trey Lance to be the team's starter in 2022, replacing veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. However, Garoppolo remains on the roster.
Of course, the
Deebo Samuel drama has overshadowed all of this. Still, the quarterback situation is one of the team's most prominent offseason storylines.
Tight end
George Kittle and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu sat down with Brandon Marshall for an interview with "I Am Athlete." The star tight end shared his thoughts on the 49ers' second-year quarterback, Lance, and how the 21-year-old has benefitted from Garoppolo's presence.
"Trey has an insane ceiling," Kittle admitted. "He just needs some reps here and there; throw the ball a little bit more. You can't really get better without playing games. ... Just playing, going against competition, getting hit and getting back up, dealing with adversity, how you deal with it. Because [some] guys that come in the league that win their entire life, and they get hit in the face a couple of times, it's different. It's just a learning process."
Kittle compared Lance to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
"Josh Allen is an established quarterback," Kittle shared. "Trey has to prove that. He has to do it on the football field. But I think he can move the chains with his feet. He's a big body. He can take hits. He wants to make plays. He's got a cannon of an arm. It's crazy. He can roll out to the right on the sideline and throw it diagonally, like 50 yards on a line. There's not a lot of people that can do that stuff."
Kittle added that he feels Garoppolo was a fantastic mentor for Lance this past season. However, there is no way to predict what will happen with Garoppolo. Yes, the team would like to trade him. But, right now, there aren't too many suitors as the veteran quarterback recovers from his March 8 shoulder surgery. There might be none after this week's draft.
"We don't know what's going to happen with Jimmy," Kittle continued. "I have no idea. I find out on Twitter like everybody else. I think the year that Jimmy is traded or something happens there, or even if Jimmy is on the team, the year that Trey spent with him is very beneficial."
Kittle also applauded Garoppolo's attitude in 2021, after the 49ers traded a haul of draft capital to acquire his eventual replacement. Garoppolo could have demanded a trade but opted to remain with the team and serve as Lance's mentor, all while dealing with the awkward questions from the media.
Kittle added, "I feel like 80 percent of the people would have [said], 'Hey, screw you guys. I'm out.'"
Who would Kittle prefer throwing him footballs this season? It's not an easy choice for the tight end.
"I'm kind of 50-50, right in the middle, honestly," Kittle responded. "Jimmy, he's a fantastic leader. We almost won a Super Bowl. We've been to the NFC Championship twice in three seasons. And then you look at Trey—I think Trey's got one of the highest ceilings I've ever seen before. Some of the things you see him do on the football field, you're like, 'Holy cow. I can't wait until he throws me passes.'
"I want whoever's going to be the better quarterback this season. And it is a business at the end of the day. We're just monetary values, really, like cogs in the machine. I do trust [head coach] Kyle Shanahan. I think he's going to pick the best quarterback. I don't have a preference. I don't. I think I like them both. They're both good guys. They both bring different things to the table. It's just what do you want to play with?"
Related News
The 49ers began their annual mandatory minicamp Tuesday, which as always will mark the end of the third and final phase of the team's offseason workout schedule. The team will break for the summer following Wednesday's session, so Tuesday was an opportunity for reporters to catch up with a number of 49ers players as well as head coach Kyle Shanahan to get some final updates before the team departs.
Among those who spoke with the media Tuesday were wide receiver Deebo Samuel, defensive end Nick Bosa, and tight end George Kittle. 49ers Webzone posted updates earlier on some of the most newsworthy moments from those media sessions, but that was far from the only thing discussed Tuesday. Here's a recap of what the players and Shanahan said, including some praise for Trey Lance
NFL Media personality Adam Rank recently published his "State of the 2023 San Francisco 49ers" feature for NFL.com, an annual look at the state of the franchise and projections for the upcoming season. Among those predictions are the team's most valuable player and breakout star.
Christian McCaffrey is the most obvious choice for MVP, and he's the guy Rank selected. The star running back was traded in late October to the 49ers and still contributed 1,210 total yards and 10 total touchdowns with his new team, totaling an impressive 1,880 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.
Rank can't wait to see what McCaffrey does for an encore
According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers have not discussed a potential trade with quarterback Trey Lance. That shouldn't surprise anyone, but the coach was asked about trade discussions after Tuesday's practice.
Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy is trending well in his recovery from surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. He is doing some limited throwing about three times a week and will ramp up his workload in the coming months.
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The 49ers remain optimistic that Purdy
George Kittle was inactive for the first two games of last season due to a groin injury. The San Francisco 49ers tight end averaged under 30 receiving yards in the two games following his return.
The production started to increase from there. The All-Pro tight end felt healthy toward the end of the season, amid a 12-game win streak (including the playoffs). That has carried into this offseason, which is significant for the player who often exits a season feeling the wear and tear on his body.
"It just allowed me to work the way that I wanted to work earlier in the offseason," Kittle told reporters on Tuesday. "Not to take so much time off to rehab and recover, do a bunch of treatments and stuff like that. I was actually just able to get a good foundation in,
