If we read between the lines, Jimmy Garoppolo essentially confirmed he is QB1 for the Niners. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Did Jimmy Garoppolo 'confirm' he's 49ers' starting QB over Trey Lance?

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan declared back on July 27 that veteran Jimmy Garoppolo would be his starting quarterback over third overall draft pick Trey Lance through at least Sunday's regular-season opener at the Detroit Lions. 

Garoppolo said on Aug. 25 he had a "pretty good idea" about who San Francisco's QB1 would be by this stage of the process, and the NFL world was set figuratively ablaze earlier on Wednesday when Jimmy G was listed as the team's starting signal-caller on the depth chart. 

Per Nick Wagoner of ESPN, Garoppolo essentially confirmed his status later in the day. 

"I told you guys a long time ago I had a pretty good feeling about it," Garoppolo explained. "I kind of joked about it but I always kind of knew where I stood and everything and now it's official, I guess." 

Meanwhile, Shanahan added about the situation:

"I'm not going to answer that because I feel like all you guys have got to do is look at how I've talked since July 27. I almost wish I wasn't hard-headed with it but I feel like you guys have been a little hard-headed and keep asking. I feel like I've already answered it. So, I'll keep it at that."

It was back on Aug. 6 when Shanahan told reporters Lance could get plays "situationally" during the season, but that was before the first-year pro suffered a small "chip" in his right index finger. Lance threw on Wednesday but could be temporarily replaced by practice-squad quarterback Nate Sudfeld for Sunday's outing if Shanahan wants to protect the rookie through the weekend. 

For now, though, the starting job is Garoppolo's to lose, which, apparently, was always the case. 

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