National Football League

With Garoppolo trade talks on hold, Niners ready for Trey Lance era

Published Mar. 31, 2022 5:50 p.m. ET

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFL Writer

He’s still on the roster for the San Francisco 49ers, but it’s only a matter of time before Jimmy Garoppolo moves on to a new team, opening the door for Trey Lance to take over as starting quarterback, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

"That’s why we looked into trading Jimmy because we obviously believe Trey can be a starter, and we’re ready to do that," Shanahan told reporters this week at the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.

Garoppolo chose to have surgery on his ailing right shoulder on March 8, necessitating a four-month recovery. The procedure came as a surprise to Shanahan, and the uncertainty about Garoppolo’s health caused teams interested in trading for the 30-year-old signal-caller to back off.

Things likely won’t heat up again until teams can see that Garoppolo is fully healthy, which won’t be until he can throw, likely close to the opening of training camp later this summer.

Shanahan said the Niners have accounted for Garoppolo’s non-guaranteed, $25.6 million salary on the books for the upcoming season, so for now, San Francisco is content to wait until it can get the most value in terms of draft compensation.

"We’re trying to see what the best thing is for the Niners," Shanahan said when asked about Garoppolo trade talks. "Having a good quarterback like Jimmy is not a bad thing. Being able to upgrade our roster by getting draft picks is a really good thing. What’s the timeline on that? It’s different when you get surgery. So that’s what we’re all dealing with."

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Niners coach Kyle Shanahan says that not being able to trade Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't change the team's plans to hand the reins to Trey Lance, saying, "We brought Trey here to be that guy eventually, and I think that will be sooner than later." Marcellus Wiley argues that Lance shouldn't be the starting QB.

That doesn’t mean Shanahan is twiddling his thumbs and waiting around on the field. After giving up first-round picks in 2022 and ‘23, along with a third-round selection this year, to move up and select Lance third overall in 2021, Shanahan is clearing the runway for the North Dakota State product to emerge as the team’s starting QB for the coming season.

Shanahan said Lance and reserve quarterback Nate Sudfeld are in Southern California working with throwing mechanics coaches ahead of the start of organized team activities in two weeks.

"Trey is preparing hard for these nine OTA days, so when he can come back, you can get the most out of the nine practices that you’re allowed to do with him," Shanahan told reporters this week. "That’s how you get better. He’s always working, staying in shape and trying to develop everything. That’s kind of what you do on your own. And then when you come to play football, it’s, ‘All right, now it’s time to practice,’ and hopefully you’ve done everything in the offseason that allows me for this moment."

While the future is Lance, Garoppolo provided the Niners with some impressive moments during his tenure as the starting QB. Midway through the 2017 season, the Niners traded a second-round pick to the Patriots for Garoppolo. He went 33-14 as a starter, helping San Francisco reach the Super Bowl three years ago and the NFC Championship game last season, with an injured shoulder and fractured thumb.

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Garoppolo was a popular player among teammates, showing toughness and resilience, and the Niners will miss his steady presence in the locker room. However, blessed with quick-twitch athleticism and a rocket arm, Lance opens up the playbook for Shanahan. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound dual-threat quarterback makes San Francisco’s offense more dynamic in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL.

Lance put those skills on display in two starts last season, including a big win late in the season over the Houston Texans, which kept San Francisco in playoff contention.

"Your first year, you don’t just gradually get better," Shanahan said of Lance’s development. "You go up and down — you hit some walls during the year. And you know how to fight through them. … There’s so much football, and you can see it on the rookies. They get to November, and they just can’t believe the season is still going.

"But then you watch them battle through it. And the way Trey finished in December, being able to come in and get us a huge win against Houston — if we wouldn’t have got that, we wouldn’t have been able to get into the playoffs. He really finished strong. And it was really good for him to see the ebb and flow of an NFL season, how you just have to keep grinding and keep battling, when we’re sitting there at 3-5, to see how rough it is and see us battle through it."

To help bring Lance along, Shanahan brought in former NFL player Brian Griese as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

"He has a huge passion for football," Shanahan said of Griese. "I was able to work with Griese for two years in Tampa. I personally think he was the smartest football player I’ve ever been around, the way he prepared and how organized he was. He was as detailed of a guy that I’ve ever been around. … It was neat to bring in somebody who could bring something a little bit different. We kind of have a partnership where we can all offer a little bit different stuff.

"I love that Trey has someone that’s been through the battles. I can tell him about it and what I’ve seen from guys, but someone who’s actually been through the ups and downs and the pressures of having a good game and then throwing a pick that loses the next game."

The bottom line for Shanahan is that Lance fits the way the Niners want to play on offense. The team’s two best playmakers are "wide-back" Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle. San Francisco is a run-based offense that can create explosive plays in the play-action passing game.

In his start against the Texans, Lance threw for the most yards on passes of 10-plus air yards (205) by any San Francisco quarterback in a game the past three seasons, according to Next Gen Stats. He can push the ball down the field.

The Niners ran the ball 499 times last season, tied for fifth in the NFL. San Francisco completed 71% of its passes on play-action attempts for 1,421 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions.

The Niners were 18th in play-action attempts last season, but with a dynamic athlete such as Lance under center, that number should go up. The Buffalo Bills (208) led the league in play-action passes, followed by the Miami Dolphins (204), Los Angeles Chargers (179) and Kansas City Chiefs (174). All four of those teams have young quarterbacks who can threaten a defense by running the football.

Lance’s ability to create plays with his feet and make explosive plays with his arm by distorting the defense adds a different element for San Francisco. Defenses must account for him in the running game, making it easier to free up Samuel and San Francisco’s bevy of talented running backs.

Lance also is on his rookie deal, which allows San Francisco to continue to draft, develop and sign core foundational players, such as Samuel and defensive end Nick Bosa, to new deals while controlling cost at the quarterback position.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.