Trey Lance someday will be named the 49ers’ starting quarterback. Tuesday was not that day, not from the wry-smiling mouth of coach Kyle Shanahan at the NFL owners meetings.
Mind you, the regular season is five-plus months away.
That is enough time for Jimmy Garoppolo’s surgically repaired throwing shoulder to heal, thus allowing him to reclaim his trade value and/or position himself for an improbable quarterback competition with Lance, last year’s No. 3 overall draft pick.
“It’d be something,” Shanahan told reporters Tuesday of a potential training camp competition. “Jimmy’s a good quarterback, so he’s not easy for anybody to beat out.
“Trey wasn’t ready to beat him out last year. He’ll be definitely closer to that this year if it happens, but that’s something we don’t have to worry about until training camp.”
That soundbite, along with other Shanahan nuggets, were broadcast on the NFL Network airwaves before dawn back in California, or, precisely, Southern California, which is where Garoppolo is rehabilitating his shoulder and Lance has worked out the past month.
When comes the passing of the torch? Not Tuesday. But someday.
“That’s why we looked into trading Jimmy, I mean, because we obviously believe Trey can be a starter and we’re ready to do that,” Shanahan added. “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.
“Quarterbacks are really hard to come by. Some teams don’t have any at all. The fact we have three we’re happy with, that is a good thing.”
Some teams don’t have any? Well, not really. After half the league made moves to add or stabilize their starting quarterback spots, only the division-rival Seattle Sehawks and the Carolina Panthers have glaring issues, which they might opt to address in next month’s draft or by taking Baker Mayfield off the Cleveland Browns’ hands.
The 49ers’ quarterback job — the starting position — generates a colossal interest and attention for good reason. It’s produced Hall of Famers and Lombardi Trophy winners. Well, it did decades ago.
A year ago, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch mortgaged their future and legacies by moving up the draft board and coming away with Lance, a raw but dazzling prospect from North Dakota State.
Lance sat most of his rookie season behind Garoppolo, aside from early-season cameos and 2 1/2 games as an injury replacement. After notching his first win in Week 17 against Houston to keep the 49ers’ playoff hopes alive, Lance did not play another snap. Garoppolo, despite a torn thumb ligament, pulled out an overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams in the regular-season finale, then played every snap in the ensuing three playoff games, ending with a loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
“Jimmy’s done a great job for us,” Shanahan said Tuesday. “We brought Trey here to be that (starter) eventually. I think that will be sooner than later.
“When Jimmy gets his surgery (March 8) and we can’t upgrade our team by getting some good picks until people feel good about that, I’m alright 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 person and as a teammate. We’re going to see whatever helps the Niners the most.”
Garoppolo carries a $27 million salary cap charge for 2022, so keeping him is an expensive luxury, but his $24 million salary doesn’t become guaranteed until Week 1 — on the second weekend of September.
When the 49ers’ offseason program begins April 18, Shanahan expects Garoppolo to be with the team, even though he won’t be able to throw until late June or July.
“I haven’t discussed it with him,” Shanahan said. “We want to do the best thing with him that gets his rehab right. But no I fully expect if Jimmy’s on our team to be fully part of our team.”
So, Jimmy G, Year 6? Shanahan isn’t guaranteeing that, not after acknowledging the 49ers’ efforts to trade him this offseason, to no avail, while several teams scrambled for new quarterbacks.
“Everything is good with Jimmy,” Shanahan insisted. “Everyone knows he got the surgery, which made the situation a little bit tougher. Anytime anyone gets the surgery, especially on their throwing shoulder, teams are going to be a little more nervous on what they want to offer and things like that. I think that did put it on hold, and we’re alright with that.
“We went through the free agents period and had to make some adjustments. We’ve got in on the books and we’ll keep it that way until something comes through us.”
Don’t be foolish enough to think Shanahan was going to name a starting quarterback Tuesday on the shores of Palm Beach.
Heck, the 49ers were four days from last season’s opener when Shanahan still played coy with the media about his quarterback depth chart.
“I almost wish I wasn’t being hardheaded with it but I feel you guys are being hardheaded by keeping asking,” Shanahan said on the Wednesday before their Week 1 win at Detroit. “I feel I’ve already answered it,” at the the start of training camp, when he said Garoppolo entered as QB1 and Lance as the rookie understudy.
Still, the question had to be asked Tuesday: Who is his 2022 starter?
“I haven’t thought about that at all,” Shanahan said. “We haven’t done a roster yet. We probably never will announce the starter because I don’t think I ever have, ever. We’ve got to keep that going.”
