Following the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and the lack of production from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo when it mattered most, all signs point to that being his final game as the team’s starting signal-caller.
If that’s the case, that would make Trey Lance the new starting quarterback of the Niners. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how things play out, but the 49ers clearly drafted Lance in the first round with this as the plan.
Jimmy G has been at the center of plenty of criticism headed into Sunday and his fourth-quarter performance seemed to cement those thoughts. But he’s also been credited as being a fantastic teammate as many of the 49ers players and coaches have rallied around him.
Lance was asked about Garoppolo in Monday’s press conference and the heir apparent had nothing but high praise for Jimmy G.
“Jimmy’s the man,” Lance said. “You’ve heard it from everyone. No one is lying about it. He’s inspired so many guys in this room, everything he’s played through this year. Everything he’s taught me, how he’s handled our whole situation. Everyone put us against each other and everything like that in the media, throughout this whole year, from OTAs and everything. But he’s been nothing but a brother to me. Whether it’s competing in practice or sitting in the meetings he’s been nothing but great to me and I’ve been nothing but thankful for him and everything he’s done. He’s going to be one of my best friends for my whole entire life.”
We can argue about the player. There's very little doubt from anyone on the type of dude Jimmy Garoppolo is. Handled a really awkward situation over the last year with a ton of dignity and self-awareness.
He's got good football left in him. It'll just be somewhere else. https://t.co/egXHXjW4md
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 31, 2022
There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Garoppolo is a fantastic teammate. However, his play on the field is what ultimately decides his future in San Francisco.
[PFT]
