All indications from the 49ers are that Trey Lance is set to take over as the franchise quarterback in 2022. Jimmy Garoppolo actually has increased his own trade value with his efficient play in recent weeks, vaulting the 49ers back into the NFC playoff picture.
NBC Sports Bay Area's Greg Papa believes the 49ers will need a veteran quarterback to compete with Lance in training camp and keep him sharp, and "selfishly" hopes that player will be Garoppolo.
"I'm hoping it's Jimmy Garoppolo, who would you find better in all the league to be in combination with him, but Jimmy's a career to manage, he's got an agent in Don Yee that's going to look out for him, I think Jimmy has proven that he's still a starting quarterback in the NFL and I hope he does the next six games in the regular season and then four more in the playoffs and all the way to the Super Bowl. It's really hard to say at that point, but I think the plan was to let him play this year and then trade him in the offseason.
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"Selfishly, I like this guy so much and he's so perfect around this team, and you're going to need a veteran presence around Trey, my question would be why the hell not Jimmy? But the reality is he may be too good for that job, he may be a starter somewhere."
Garoppolo has stepped up his play in recent weeks after a slow start had many fans clamoring for Lance to take over. The veteran has completed more than 65 percent of his passes in each of the last four games, after only doing so twice in his first six starts.
After seven turnovers in his first six games, Garoppolo has just two in his last four starts.
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A number of NFL teams are expected to make changes at quarterback this offseason, and Garoppolo certainly will be among the most highly-regarded potential options available.
He will incur a $27 million cap hit in 2022 but will have his contract expire after that season.
If another NFL team believes he can be as prolific there as he has been in San Francisco, perhaps they will pursue a trade with the 49ers.
However, Papa is correct in that it would be difficult to find a better backup option for Lance, especially given Garoppolo's knowledge of Kyle Shanahan's offense.