Jimmy Garoppolo has had to deal with whispers about rookie Trey Lance taking his job for much of the offseason. That didn’t happen, but Lance took some snaps from Garoppolo during the team’s Week 1 win.
While Garoppolo has been nothing but professional about the situation for much of the offseason, some frustration certainly seemed to come out on Tuesday. The starting quarterback was removed on one first-quarter drive against the Detroit Lions, and Lance replaced him for a play and threw a touchdown pass. Garoppolo embraced Lance on the sideline, which Fox commentator Mark Sanchez suggested was not an easy thing for Garoppolo to do.
Garoppolo essentially confirmed as much in an interview with KNBR’s “Murph and Mac,” hinting that he was frustrated to not be able to finish the drive.
“He’s not wrong,” Garoppolo said of Sanchez’s comment, via Jake Montero of KNBR. “Nah, it is what it is type of situation. It’s one of those we had a good drive, marched down there. Kyle (Shanahan) called the package, and he’s the head coach. Whatever he calls, goes. Just one of those things that you can only control what you can control. And I’m out there with my boys, making the best of it, having a good time. At the end of the day we’re playing football, trying to get a win. Whatever it takes. It is what it is, you know?”
Garoppolo seems willing to accept the situation, but he also doesn’t seem happy about it. It didn’t help that he got off to a shaky start, even if he recovered later in the game.
The Garoppolo-Lance timeshare seems destined to remain in place throughout the season. To an extent, any frustration Garoppolo is feeling is understandable. He led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance two seasons ago and suddenly appears to be fighting for his job after one injury-hit season. However, coach Kyle Shanahan is very specific about his quarterback preferences, and it’s pretty clear that he thinks he can do better than Garoppolo.
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