SARATOGA SPRINGS, Calif. Coach Kyle Shanahan made it crystal apparent on Tuesday that Trey Lance is the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, ending any lingering uncertainty. Jimmy Garoppolo, meanwhile, is still likely to find a new home.
Shanahan stated, “We have moved on to Trey.” “Team Trey, here we come! That’s not a dig at Jimmy, of course. That’s the choice we made over a year ago, and we’re sticking with it. That’s something we’re not going to play with any longer. That’s clear to Jimmy. The fact that it’s not embarrassing is due to this being a business choice. Jimmy understands that Trey will be our choice. Trey and our crew are on board with Trey, and everyone likes both of them.”
Garoppolo and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who asked for a trade in April, have been the focus of much of the offseason’s 49ers talk. On Tuesday, both players arrived at training camp, but Garoppolo is slated to leave and Samuel is expected to sign a long-term contract.
While the lingering offseason drama around Garoppolo and Samuel hasn’t completely cleared yet, it appears like it will in the near future.
On Tuesday morning, Garoppolo got down with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to catch up and talk about what’s ahead. While Garoppolo has resumed throwing and has been given the green light to practice, he will be absent from the Niners’ first day of organized team activities on Wednesday.
After a physical on Tuesday afternoon, Garoppolo is slated to continue the throwing routine prescribed for him as quarterback continues to work his shoulder back into shape.
The 49ers will continue to look for a trade partner as Garoppolo works his way back. They believe a deal would have been done sooner if Garoppolo hadn’t needed surgery after the season ended. It has been a while since that happened, but the Niners and Garoppolo remain in the same place.
The first time Garoppolo, Lynch, and Shanahan had a face-to-face meeting since Garoppolo’s departure for the offseason in February was on Tuesday. Garoppolo had not even met new quarterbacks coach Brian Griese as late as June when he was exempted from the offseason program.
Nothing has happened yet because of the repercussions of the surgery and the other teams’ perceptions of that, Lynch said. He’s here, he’s reported, and we’ll proceed as necessary, so that’s good to know.
Because Garoppolo passed his physical, the 49ers will not be subject to the $7.5 million injury guarantee that became effective following Garoppolo’s surgery because he will not be placed on the physically unable to perform list. It would save the team $24.2 million in 2022 basic pay and $1.4 million in dead money from Garoppolo’s prorated signing bonus if the team traded or released him.
It’s critical that the 49ers and Garoppolo’s representatives work together this offseason to find him a new home because any acquiring team would likely want to negotiate a new contract that’s cheaper than the remaining year on his deal but would also include some guaranteed money for Garoppolo, who doesn’t have any guarantees left on his contract.
So far, neither the 49ers nor Garoppolo have requested that he be released, even though there aren’t many clubs looking for a quarterback right now.
“As quickly as we can,” Shanahan replied when asked whether he wanted to trade Garoppolo. “The sooner everyone is on the same page, the sooner that can happen. I believe that would be beneficial for both him and us.”
Lynch and the Niners are more confident in Samuel than they are in Garoppolo, who is almost probably on his way out. Despite Samuel’s prior wish to be traded, the Niners remained committed to signing him to a long-term contract agreement.
On Tuesday, Samuel arrived at the team’s training facility for the first time since the team’s mandated minicamp. In the absence of a new contract, it is uncertain whether Samuel will participate in practices. Lynch said the priority is to get it done as quickly as possible.
‘We’ve had incredibly fruitful and substantive discussions,’ Lynch added. “I don’t want to over-excite everyone because nothing is imminent, but I am hoping that we will be able to make an announcement soon that will be exciting for all parties concerned. The arrival of Deebo as a new member of the squad has us all very excited.”
The San Francisco 49ers and defensive end Nick Bosa appear to be holding off on signing a new contract, despite the fact that Samuel’s is expected to be paid soon.
A deal with Bosa didn’t appear to be on the horizon after the Niners exercised their fifth-year option, which keeps the defensive end under contract with the team through the 2023 season.
As a result, Lynch indicated Tuesday that an agreement is more likely to be reached in 2023, even if he won’t rule out something happening sooner.
With only a year left on the contract, most of our deals are done, according to Lynch’s history and current cadence. “That doesn’t mean it’s out of the question for Nick. There is a chance that it will be handled in the new year. There are no hard and fast rules. As long as we’re here, Nick Bosa is going to remain a member of the San Francisco 49ers, and he’s going to be paid nicely for it. Because he is such a fantastic player, his time will come. And when it does, he will be rewarded accordingly.”