With one simple statement, head coach Kyle Shanahan erased all remaining doubt surrounding the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation.
"This is Trey's team," Shanahan told reporters Tuesday.
Trey being Trey Lance, the 49ers' first-round pick from last year—a player with whom Shanahan was so enamored that the team traded up to the No. 3 overall pick. Lance will be San Francisco's Week 1 starter. So the national media's narrative that the quarterback Lance is succeeding, Jimmy Garoppolo, might be the one to step on the field against the Chicago Bears is over.
"That's nothing against Jimmy," Shanahan continued. "We made that decision a year ago, and we're going with that. We're not going to mess around anymore."
The 49ers have been trying to offload Garoppolo all offseason. That should have been enough evidence that the team is ready to transition to Lance. However, the situation was made murky when Garoppolo opted to undergo shoulder surgery on March 8, halting all trade talks. The decision was unexpected—even for the 49ers.
Now, Garoppolo and the 49ers are left in a tough situation. At the end of last season, the quarterback knew he was headed out the door. After delaying the process, the 49ers' and Garoppolo's options have diminished. The list of quarterback-needy teams has been significantly reduced, and we've gotten to the point where no one is eager to add a quarterback coming off surgery.
Garoppolo reported to the 49ers for training camp, though. He, like many of his soon-to-be-ex teammates, underwent a physical. Garoppolo's departure is on the horizon. The when and where are the only remaining unknowns.
"Jimmy understands that fully," Shanahan said. "He's a big guy, and it's nothing against him either. That's a business decision, and that's what makes it not awkward. Yeah, it's tough, but there's contracts, and there's stuff that you have to do. … Jimmy knows we're going with Trey, Trey knows we're going with Trey, and our team does."
Now, those still questioning the quarterback situation finally know too.
"We have moved on to Trey," Shanahan added. "We're starting camp out this way. We think Jimmy would have been traded if the surgery didn't happen. It did. He needed to do it, so there's no ill will there at all. But it's good to see that he is healthy. But now it's all just seeing how this will end up. All three of us are on the same page."
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