PFF: 49ers 'will stick with' Trey Lance despite keeping Jimmy Garoppolo

One of the hottest NFL topics heading into the opening Sunday of the 2022 season continues to involve the quarterback situation of the San Francisco 49ers. 

While 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have repeatedly insisted since the summer months that they're all-in on 2021 rookie Trey Lance serving as their starter, the fact that the club kept veteran Jimmy Garoppolo via a restructured contract has many within the pro football community believing that Shanahan could go back to Garoppolo at the first sign of trouble as soon as later this month. 

Such takes ignore that Lynch tried to trade Garoppolo both before and after the 30-year-old underwent shoulder surgery in March. For a piece published on Friday, Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed explained why Garoppolo's existence on the roster doesn't necessarily mean the 49ers have little-to-no faith in Lance in the closing days of summer. 

"I believe the 49ers will stick with Trey Lance barring injury and that there’s still a possibility that Garoppolo could get traded if another starting QB goes down with an injury. By reducing his salary, that makes him inherently more tradable," Kyed wrote. 

In late August, Shanahan essentially confirmed Kyed's point about the 49ers possibly selling Garoppolo to a would-be buyer before the fall trade deadline.  

"Two of the most logical landing spots for Garoppolo were the Seattle Seahawks (where he could have competed with Geno Smith and Drew Lock for the starting job) and Los Angeles Rams (where he could have backed up Matthew Stafford), and it would make sense that the 49ers wouldn’t want to release him with the possibility that he would sign with a divisional rival," Kyed continued. "So, they made the situation work with a restructured contract."

Kyed did not, however, completely close the door on Garoppolo replacing Lance later this year. 

"I know the 49ers still like Garoppolo and believe they could compete with him as their starting quarterback with their current system and playmakers in place," Kyed wrote. "But I also know they believe Lance has much higher upside than Garoppolo." 

In short, Lance will likely have to quiet 49ers fans who are also Garoppolo supporters right out of the gates and produce at least a solid performance in the regular-season opener at the Chicago Bears on Sunday.