Jimmy Garoppolo is the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, barring unforeseen circumstances. Trey Lance underwent ankle surgery on Monday and will land on season-ending injured reserve.
The situation is disappointing for Lance, who finally had an opportunity to gain a significant number of in-game reps, something he has lacked over the last couple of seasons. COVID protocols shortened his 2020 campaign at North Dakota State to one game. Lance started only two games last season as an NFL rookie, with a few plays sprinkled in here and there in other games.
Lance's 2022 season ended in less than five full quarters.
For Garoppolo, this is an opportunity to prove his worth. There was no trade market for the veteran quarterback after he underwent shoulder surgery on March 8, leading to a one-year contract restructure to remain with San Francisco. Now, the unfortunate injury to Lance has thrust Garoppolo back into the starting lineup.
Garoppolo's former teammate and mentor in New England, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, shared his thoughts on the 49ers' quarterback situation.
"[I'm] obviously very sorry for Trey," Brady said via the Let's Go! podcast, per Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. "And I've followed that all offseason with Jimmy, you know, kind of in his rehab and I've known Jimmy so well. I've known Jimmy since he was a rookie and Jimmy and I have been friends a long time. And just seeing him, how he's handled kind of his own adversity, is really gonna prepare him for what's ahead. It's interesting in the NFL, you know, when one door closes I think another one opens.
"I think Jimmy and everyone was set on him being somewhere else. And the reality is they found a place where they could agree on something that worked for both parties and sure enough the first game at it, Jimmy's out there playing with Trey getting injured. And as tough as it is for Trey to get injured, Jimmy steps in there and does a great job. So I think everyone is probably pretty happy with how things turned out from Jimmy's standpoint. Obviously not with Trey and the injury. But things have a crazy way of working out. … You never know when that opportunity's gonna present itself and when you get it, you gotta go out and take advantage of it. So I was really happy for Jimmy to go in there and do a great job yesterday."
Garoppolo and Brady will have a reunion later this season. The two are set to face each other on December 11 when the Buccaneers visit Levi's Stadium for a Week 14 matchup.
