San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo August 14, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) warm up before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Sean Keeley on

The San Francisco 49ers surprised a lot of people this week when they signed a restructured contract with former starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that likely keeps him on the roster through the 2022 NFL season.

It was assumed that no one would be more surprised than Trey Lance, who has been anointed as the new starter in San Francisco and who might have seen the signing as a signal that the franchise didn’t have as much faith in him as expected.

According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, that’s simply not the case.

Tuesday, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm said that Shanahan told reporters that “we have a starting quarterback as a backup” in Garoppolo and that Lance was happy to hear that.

“When I told Trey that Jimmy’s coming back, he said ‘Awesome,'” Shanahan said. “There was no relationship to mend.”

Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports added that Shanahan said the two quarterbacks get along great, despite any rumors or reports.

“Trey and Jimmy have a great relationship,” Shanahan said. “Trey actually likes having Jimmy in the building. Trey was very grateful [for] how Jimmy was to him last year and we feel very strongly from the two people, that Jimmy will give that back to Trey this year.”

At the end of the day, Shanahan clearly feels as though no matter what happens this season, the 49ers will have a solid quarterback at the helm.

“There aren’t 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL,” Shanahan said, “and we believe we have two of them.”

[NESN, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, NBC Sports’ Jennifer Lee Chan]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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