49ers plan to start Jimmy Garoppolo over Trey Lance
It was hardly a secret San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan planned to open training camp with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo as his starting quarterback even though the club selected North Dakota State Bison signal-caller Trey Lance third overall in the draft.
Shanahan confirmed his intentions when speaking with reporters Tuesday:
Much like how Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy has repeatedly insisted Andy Dalton is starting over rookie Justin Fields come September, those within the 49ers have been clear they want Garoppolo ahead of Lance on the depth chart for the foreseeable future. 49ers CEO Jed York suggested shortly after the draft Lance may not start until his third NFL season, and general manager John Lynch explained in May he wanted to keep Jimmy G as a starter and mentor throughout the process that ended with the 49ers choosing Lance.
Lance spoke glowingly about working alongside Garoppolo earlier this month, and it seems their relationship will remain unchanged until Shanahan says otherwise.
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