Training camp is getting closer and closer for the San Francisco 49ers, but they are not any closer to solving their quarterback controversy.
Reportedly, Trey Lance has been looking good during OTAs, but it’s way too soon to say that he’ll live up to the hype.
Trey Lance in the four practices the media attended this offseason:
50-67 completions (74.6%)
6 TD passes
2 interceptions— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) June 8, 2022
Meanwhile, incumbent QB Jimmy Garoppolo has been excused from the team’s minicamp due to a bad shoulder that he recently had surgery on.
It is giving Lance an opportunity to show what he’s made of while getting some valuable experience and developing chemistry with his teammates.
Now there are rumors that Garoppolo will ultimately be released by San Francisco and that it will hand the keys of the offense to Lance.
#NFL Execs Feel #49ers Jimmy Garoppolo, #Browns Baker Mayfield Will Likely Be Released. pic.twitter.com/NNETgBpiCk
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 10, 2022
It may be the best move the Niners can make.
It Would Be Better To Trade Garoppolo, But There Have Been No Takers
There is no doubt that Garoppolo is a very solid QB, and he would be an upgrade at that position for multiple teams around the NFL.
In particular, the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks are reportedly in the market for such an upgrade.
But nothing has materialized, at least not yet, and some feel the 49ers have been asking for too much in return.
It seems that the deeper a team gets into the offseason, the less likely it is that it will pull off a significant trade, and if that is the case for the 49ers, it is time for them to just release Garoppolo.
He is a class act, and he hasn’t complained publicly about the entire situation over the past 12 months.
The Niners are young enough where Lance would have the time to go through his inevitable growing pains, grow from them, and hopefully evolve into an elite quarterback.
They gave up so much capital to get him that they cannot delay the inevitable – they have the give him the ball and see what and who he really is.
The Other Benefits Of Releasing Jimmy G
The 49ers have another major issue on their hands, and his name is Deebo Samuel.
He has asked them to trade him, looking for a new, hefty contract, but perhaps whatever differences he has with the organization can be patched up in order to keep him in the Bay for years to come.
Releasing Garoppolo would reportedly give San Francisco enough cap room to give Samuel a contract with the type of big money he likely deserves.
In addition, two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa is due for a contract extension of his own, and the 49ers certainly want to give him one.
If they sort out all the issues they are dealing with, and if Lance becomes as great as they think he can be, they could set themselves up to contend for the Super Bowl for at least the next five years.
Now is the time for them to make that happen because, unlike most other pro sports teams, the 49ers and their fans measure success by world championships.
NEXT: 49ers Veteran Comments On The Return Of Aaron Donald