ESPN analyst: 49ers' move from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance an 'unnecessary' risk

Few among those who had followed the situation since the winter months were surprised when San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed at the beginning of training camp that the franchise had "moved on" from veteran Jimmy Garoppolo to 2021 rookie Trey Lance as its starting quarterback. 

Lance handled QB1 duties throughout the spring as Garoppolo recovered from March shoulder surgery but is hardly a proven commodity. The 22-year-old completed 57.7% of his 71 regular-season passes for 603 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions as a first-year pro and then routinely had his "arm fitness" questioned by analysts and insiders throughout the offseason. 

Garoppolo, meanwhile, helped the 49ers complete a journey to this past January's NFC Championship Game and also has a Super Bowl appearance on his résumé for his tenure with the organization. 

As David Bonilla noted for 49ers WebZone, former league executive and current ESPN personality Mike Tannenbaum was asked during Thursday's edition of "Get Up" if there was any risk in replacing Garoppolo with Lance when the Niners are potentially close to once again playing on Super Bowl Sunday. 

"Yes, and it's an unnecessary one," Tannenbaum responded. "You have a great quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, who over the last three years has taken your team to the Super Bowl and the [NFC] Championship Game. I love Trey Lance. I think his upside is compelling. But why would you risk not playing Jimmy Garoppolo, especially early, when you have a team that can win right now?

"When Jimmy Garoppolo plays, and I know it's not a team stat, but 70% of the time, they win. That matters to me. They average 28 points. That matters to me. He's been productive, in that system, with that team. So to me, I like Lance long-term, but short-term, I am playing Jimmy Garoppolo."

What's done isn't necessarily done as it pertains to the immediate futures of Garoppolo and Lance. Garoppolo has a $24.2 million base salary for 2022 that reportedly only becomes guaranteed if he's on the San Francisco roster at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 10. The 49ers, thus, could hold onto the 30-year-old as an insurance policy just in case Lance goes down with an injury before that deadline. 

Garoppolo was linked with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, but it's believed the Browns will only pursue such a deal if they lose starter Deshaun Watson to a one-year suspension related to allegations of sexual misconduct during massage sessions.