“What else do I need to say?”
Are you tired of hearing about whether Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance will be the 49ers starting quarterback in 2022? So are officials with the 49ers. During a segment of GET UP earlier this week, ESPN’s NFL reporter Dianna Russini said she asked a source with the Niners, “What’s going on with your quarterback position?” and got an emphatic answer. Per Russini, the source said, “What else do I need to say to you to make it clear that Trey Lance is our quarterback?”
It’s understandable why folks in San Francisco are tired of being asked about this situation. From the start of the offseason, the 49ers have been quite clear that Garoppolo would be traded this offseason, and Lance will take over as the team’s starting quarterback. Of course, a trade never materialized, and Jimmy G remains on the roster.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has remained publically confident that they will find a trade partner for Garoppolo, but it’s hard to find great fits around the league, particularly because whichever team acquires him will be on the hook for a $25.5 million salary cap number unless the Niners retain some money or he signs an extension.
The Niners may be tired of getting asked about Garoppolo, but as long as he’s on the roster, reporters are going to keep asking about the team’s plans. After all, the Niners decided an injured Garoppolo gave them a better chance to win in the postseason than Lance earlier this year. Obviously, it’s time to give the keys to Lance, but until San Francisco unloads Garoppolo, questions are going to continue to swirl.
Here’s Russini’s full quote
“When I asked what’s going on with your quarterback position? This source wrote back, ‘What else do I need to say to you to make it clear that Trey Lance is our quarterback?’ So I was sensing a little bit of frustration with me. But I think the point is that they are moving on. They want to trade Jimmy Garoppolo and putting out the news that they are allowing him to seek a trade. His agent has been doing work behind the scenes for weeks. But the problem is, there’s a big salary that comes with Jimmy G.
The Niners know that, which is another reason they want to move on from him. They need to pay Nick Bosa. They need to pay Deebo Samuel. And probably the biggest part of this is Trey Lance needs to develop. He does not need a quarterback like Jimmy G, who is beloved in San Francisco and loved by his teammates and has won, sitting on his shoulder here. So until they can get rid of Jimmy G it’s almost like a little bit of drama here heading into camp because what are they going to do? But from conversations around the league, once a team gets desperate enough, an injury, poor performance, that’s when Jimmy will get moved.”