In his latest Football Morning in America column for NBC Sports, Peter King made several quarterback change predictions for the upcoming season. Among them was San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo replacing Trey Lance before facing the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.
The 49ers have touted Lance as their starter all offseason, believing they would be able to trade Garoppolo. However, the former starting quarterback's March shoulder surgery severely hurt his trade value, and he returned to the team on a restructured one-year deal to serve as Lance's backup.
Some have viewed the move as the 49ers lacking faith in their second-year quarterback. The roster is stacked with talent and primed to compete for a championship this season. That's one of the reasons why fans believe San Francisco can overcome any stumbles by Lance. It's also one of the reasons why some within the media believe the team might look to move to Garoppolo at some point this season.
"I think I do not want to be a negative Nate here," King explained. "I truly do not dislike the San Francisco agreement to bring back Jimmy Garoppolo. But in the midst of all the kumbaya coming out of the oh-it's-great-we-re-signed-Jimmy lovefest, I wonder one thing: This is a veteran team that went to battle with Jimmy Garoppolo late last season and saw him beat the Rams in week 18, then watch him be the QB in winning playoff games at Dallas and Green Bay."
Garoppolo was the quarterback at the helm of the 49ers offense when it went against the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. It was Garoppolo's second NFC title game appearance in the past three seasons.
Maybe the 49ers will dominate out of the gate and all season long. Few would argue that they aren't talented enough to do so. But what happens if, instead, they struggle due to Lance?
King writes, "How will George Kittle and Fred Warner and Arik Armstead and Deebo Samuel, all good team guys, react privately if Trey Lance struggles the first month of the season? Will the Niners' leadership council go to Kyle Shanahan and say, 'Come on. We gotta win these games?'"
San Francisco kicks off its regular season on Sunday against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
