A few have suggested that the San Francisco 49ers trading Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason is far from a certainty. ESPN's Bill Barnwell can't imagine the 49ers not trading away Garoppolo. After all, the team surrendered a significant amount of draft capital to trade up to acquire Trey Lance last year. The 21-year-old quarterback is the future, and Garoppolo will likely find himself in a different uniform during the upcoming season.

Most expect Lance to start Week 1 of the 2022 season. Barnwell, for one, is excited to see how that transforms Kyle Shanahan's offense, noting that Lance's versatility adds to what the 49ers head coach has been building on his roster.


"I mean, [Lance's] ceiling is so high," Barnwell said Thursday on KNBR. "Just a guy that has every athletic trait you could ask for. And I think a guy who can run a very modern offense. It's not like he was running a gimmicky offense at [NDSU]. So, to me, I think having a guy who can run anything you want to run, who can change the numbers in the run game for you, I think is such a dramatic advantage.

"I think Kyle Shanahan wants that at fullback with Kyle Juszczyk, at tight end with George Kittle, with the wide receivers that he has, especially with Deebo Samuel. He always wants to disguise his intentions with the personnel, and I think having Trey Lance adds to that value."

Fans didn't get much of a preview of Lance in 2021. The then-rookie quarterback started only two games and played in just 178 offensive snaps through the 17-game season. Lance looked good—at least in the second half—during his Week 17 start against the Houston Texans.

While some, like Joe Montana and Adam Schefter, have cast doubts on Lance's development, Jay Glazer recently stated that the 49ers are "enamored" with the quarterback's progress.

Barnwell added, "So, to me, I think we're going to see a very fun offense from the 49ers if Trey Lance is starting in 2022."


You can listen to the entire conversation with Barnwell below.



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