49ers: Richard Sherman explains why Jimmy Garoppolo should start next season

The San Francisco 49ers made it clear that Trey Lance was the future of the franchise when they took him in the NFL Draft. But even despite the hype and the fans’ expectations, they still decided to roll with Jimmy Garoppolo this season.

Garoppolo has lowkey been pretty efficient this year. Albeit not impressive or flashy, he’s done just enough to help the Niners peak at the right time and reach the Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers.

That’s why former Niners CB Richard Sherman thinks the team should continue to trust him beyond this season. Per Sherman, Lance is still quite young and they could set him up for failure by starting him in his second year.

Richard Sherman Says Jimmy Garoppolo Should Start For The 49ers Next Season

“I think he should be the starter again,” Sherman inhispodcast, per NBC Sports. “People forget that Aaron [Rodgers] didn’t start his first year and didn’t start his second year. They’re so ready to rush him in there and they’re rushing him in there with expectation and that’s the hardest thing to do because everybody’s like ‘look what Josh Allen did’ and it’s like Josh Allen’s first couple years he wasn’t this Josh Allen.

“Then it’s like ‘look at Patrick Mahomes’ and it’s like yeah but Patrick Mahomes had his growing pains as well and it’s cool what he’s doing, but if you send him in with those expectations, you have nothing but disappointment,” Sherman added.

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Garoppolo knows that his future with the team is up in the air. However, he hasn’t let all that chatter get into his head or bother him throughout the season. If anything, it only motivates him to silence his doubters:

“I think a big part of it is just knowing who you are—as a player and a person, really,”Garoppolo told NBC Sports.“That will take you a long way. It’s kind of a big part of just my mental game. I know what type of quarterback I am. I know what type of player I am in this league and where I stand. All the noise out there and everything, keep it coming. It fuels me and it keeps me going. It’s a good thing when people are talking about you.”

Trey Lance is a top-notch prospect and there’s no doubt about that. But he’s still quite raw and is a work in progress. There’s no need to rush him at this point. So, the Niners will have a tough call to make after the season.