Johnson to battle to remain a starter

Fred Warner was overwhelmed by over 200 text messages and calls from friends and colleagues on Wednesday when news broke that the San Francisco 49ers were signing him to a massive five-year extension, making him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. The newfound riches won't change his attitude, though. Instead, Warner will continue working to earn the respect of his peers and do whatever he can to contribute to the team goal of winning a championship. "My goals and aspirations are always going to be set to the highest standard, higher than anybody else can put on me," Warner told reporters on Thursday. "And that holds true to the season, even before this contract was set and done. My (personal) goals and my goals for this team, they don't change. So that's what's exciting,

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke briefly with Steve Mariucci of NFL Network after Saturday's practice. Naturally, Mariucci brought up the team's quarterback situation. The plan is to enter Week 1 with the veteran, Jimmy Garoppolo, as the starter. However, the team used a high draft pick to add Trey Lance, who is the quarterback of the future. Mariucci asked Shanahan to once again confirm that Garoppolo is the 49ers' starter and how the coach manages the practice and preseason reps between the two, with Lance needing experience to eventually take over the offense. "It's not bad with the one and two," Shanahan said. "And yeah, that is true. Jimmy's our starter because he's our best quarterback right now. And obviously, we think a lot of Trey, and

There's a lot of excitement surrounding Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers. Fans and the media have been wowed by his training camp performances, bringing the timetable for his readiness to take over the starting role into question. Many of the questions directed at head coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday dealt with his 21-year-old quarterback. Even starter Jimmy Garoppolo was asked multiple times about his eventual successor. A lot of the focus is on Lance, and that won't change any time soon. "This guy's got some balls," an excited Deebo Samuel told his coach of Lance last week. "Trey Lance, he's a baller, man," new

There are many position battles to keep an eye on during the San Francisco 49ers' training camp. Which receiver will get the most playing time behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel? Will a young star cornerback emerge and climb the depth chart? Who will help Raheem Mostert contribute to what the team hopes is a punishing rushing attack? With the team's first practice scheduled for tomorrow morning, that's not where most of the attention will be, though. Marc Ross of NFL.com released his list of each team's top training camp battle to track, and he believes the focus in Santa Clara should be on the quarterback position. Adding a rookie with a