The San Francisco 49ers have recently resurged. They were one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season but they now have a strong shot to make the playoffs, especially with both the Rams and Seahawks struggling.
But for that, they’re going to need better play from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s been tied with multiple teams over the past couple of years and who has proven to be just a game-manager at best.
That’s why 49ers fans have urged head coach Kyle Shanahan to give up on him and trust Trey Lance so he can develop. Now, Shanahan’s words will finally appease those fans, as he finally confirmed that, even though Garoppolo could still come back next year, they want Lance to be their quarterback for the future.
49ers: Kyle Shanahan Says Trey Lance Is The Future Of The Franchise
“There’s a chance for anything, but I think we’ve made it pretty clear that Trey is our guy of the future, whenever that will happen,” Shanahan said, as quoted by ProFootballTalk.“ But it’s also nothing against Jimmy that we took him, but we do think Trey is our guy of the future. Like I’ve said, I think it’ll be really hard, if Jimmy is on it, for him to beat him out right away. So it’s kind of going like that right now, and we’re not thinking much past that.”
“We know Trey is the future here, and we’re trying to do what’s best for him and for our team,” Shanahan added. “And Trey’s coming off a pretty big injury, and we’re going to keep bringing him along and keep getting him prepared as good as he can be to always be ready to come in and help on the plays that we ask him to do. Always be ready to take over if Jimmy gets hurt and being ready to be the future for us too.”
Shanahan added that he knows that Lance could be out there getting reps and getting more experience. However, the team isn’t ready to give up on the season and will make a final playoff push:
“I get all the questions, but it’s way too early for me to start thinking about just getting guys experience and giving up on the year in that way,” the coach said. “I’m trying to do what’s best for our team, and also what’s best for those players, not just Trey, but other guys. Getting experience just to get it isn’t always beneficial.”
The 49ers have struggled with injuries over the past couple of years and they’re far from the Super Bowl contender they were not so long ago. Then again, it’s nice to see that they’re at least ready to move on and build for the future.
