However, that spotlight should be directed to Trey Lance, whose been continuously working on his craft this offseason, first with quarterback coach Quincy Avery before his current training with coach John Beck, to best prepare himself for the 2022 season.
With the uncertainty at the quarterback position currently, as the front office has said they're comfortable rostering Jimmy Garoppolo for 2022, have the 49ers' front office failed Trey Lance?
At the moment, they haven't failed their rookie quarterback.
Last week, when speaking at the NFL's annual meeting, head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed a significant amount of confidence in Trey Lance, sharing the belief that despite the current quarterback situation, the player that San Francisco invested three first-round picks in will be leading the offense in 2022.
Every detail has pointed to Garoppolo being off the roster prior to the beginning of the season. The 49ers signed quarterback Nate Sudfeld to a one-year deal worth $2 million guaranteed, signifying their trust in him as their backup quarterback. Garoppolo said his own farewell. The 49ers have continuously attempted to move him, and judging by Lynch and Shanahan's words, will continue to do so.
However, if Jimmy Garoppolo is on this roster in 2022, then that conversation changes.
Lance is already under extreme pressure, expecting to replicate the success San Francisco had under Garoppolo to quiet critics, and a starting-caliber quarterback looking over his shoulder on the sidelines following every mistake would only worsen the situation, whereas young quarterbacks would normally be able to learn and move forward to the next rep.
Additionally, the 49ers will be continuing their charade of not committing to either quarterback, which would hinder their 2022 roster and potentially waste another year of Lance's rookie contract, which is the prime window for San Francisco to contend for a Super Bowl. Remember, in each of the past five Super Bowls, one of the teams had a quarterback on their rookie deal: Joe Burrow(2021), Patrick Mahomes(2019,2020), Jared Goff(2018), and Carson Wentz(2017).
Moving Garoppolo would free $25.5 million in cap space, which could be used to sign San Francisco's draft class, as well as some extra money for the extensions of Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa, while providing the necessary cap for a mid-season acquisition. Moreover, following the draft, the 49ers could still look to free agency to fill the holes they still had on their roster with the available cap space from a Garoppolo move.
Given their minimal cap space, if the 49ers keep Garoppolo, they'd also be jeopardizing their future, as it would call for more restructures for the necessary cap space to sign their draft class.
So, has the front office failed Trey Lance and the 49ers yet? No. But, keeping Garoppolo on the roster would be a mistake, not only for Lance's development, but also for the team's future.
Written By:
Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
All articles by Rohan Chakravarthi
Rohan Chakravarthi
Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
All articles by Rohan Chakravarthi
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