PALM BEACH, Fla. — Quarterback Trey Lance showed enough during his rookie season to convince 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan he is ready to move up to a starting role in 2022.
“That’s why we looked into trading Jimmy, because we obviously believe that Trey can be a starter,” Shanahan said Tuesday at the NFL Annual Meeting.
“And we’re ready to do that. But if we can’t upgrade our team in another way, we’re not just going to get rid of a good quarterback because we have other quarterbacks on the roster.”
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Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is the good quarterback the 49ers planned to trade this offseason. The organization was confident a deal would be made to send Garoppolo to another team for worthwhile compensation.
Then, Garoppolo opted for shoulder surgery on March 8 which requires an expected four-month recovery period. All serious trade talks were paused or ended altogether.
Garoppolo remains a member of the 49ers, though the club is hoping it can still trade him for an acceptable return.
“We brought Trey here to be (the starter) eventually,” Shanahan said. “I think that’ll be sooner than later, but Jimmy gets his surgery and we can’t upgrade our team by getting some good picks until people feel good about that (surgery).
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“I’m all right with that. We’re not just getting rid of him to get rid of him. Jimmy’s a good player that we all really like as a person and as a teammate. We’re going to wait to see whatever helps the Niners the most.”
The 49ers selected Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Garoppolo remained the starter last season as the 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
Lance started two games when Garoppolo missed time due to injuries. Lance played well in the second half of the 49ers' Week 17 victory over the Houston Texans, which kept the team alive for a wild-card berth.
If the 49ers are unable to find a trade partner for Garoppolo, the 49ers say they can keep him on the roster even at his scheduled pay of $25.6 million.
What would that mean? Would he compete with Lance for the starting job in training camp? Would he enter as the starter or the backup?
“Definitely haven’t got that far,” Shanahan said. “We’ll figure that out.”
Although Lance had an impressive training camp as a rookie, there was never an announced quarterback competition. Garoppolo took nearly all the first-team practice reps in the offseason program and during the weeks leading up to the regular season.
This year, Lance will get all of the practice snaps during the offseason program with the starters while Garoppolo is unable to throw a football until approximately a month before training camp.
“Jimmy is a good quarterback, so he’s not easy for anyone to beat out,” Shanahan said. “Trey wasn’t ready to beat him out last year. He’ll definitely be closer to that this year if that happens.
“But it’s something we won’t have to worry about until training camp. Usually, when you have a situation like that it makes everybody better anyways.”
RELATED: Why having impressive 49ers offseason program 'vital' for Lance
Shanahan said his advice for Lance at their end-of-season meeting was to get away and get his mind off football for a period of time.
Lance has resumed his offseason routine as he works on his mechanics with throwing coaches in Orange County. He is working out with 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk and reserve quarterback Nate Sudfeld, among others, Shanahan said.