SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Hypothetically, if rookie Trey Lance is the 49ers’ starting quarterback during the first two weeks of the upcoming regular season, it will be the first time he started games in consecutive weeks in 617 days.
If Lance sits during his entire rookie campaign and doesn’t start until Week 1 in 2022, it would be roughly 974 days.
Lance, of course, only played one game during his final college season at North Dakota State in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had just 318 pass attempts in college, the fewest among any rookie drafted in the first round in four decades.
Which is important to note when discussing when the No. 3 pick in last week’s NFL draft will make his starting debut for San Francisco. His lack of experience means he needs game reps to develop, despite incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan saying all the right things since Lance was drafted about Garoppolo affording Lance time to get acclimated.
“I want Jimmy to be here and I want this kid (Lance) to be brought along,” Shanahan said after Round 1. “I want to see how he does and if it turns into a competition, it turns into a competition.”
Indeed, having a competition would be a logical way to pick a starting quarterback. But Garoppolo and Lance won’t be on equal footing. The 49ers didn’t invest three first-round picks in Garoppolo, nor does Garoppolo need development the same way Lance does. Holding the clipboard will only go so far. Sitting Lance would be the football equivalent of getting a second mortgage to buy a Ferrari but continue driving your Hyundai Elantra.
Garoppolo this week broke his offseason silence for the first time since Lance was drafted — and made it clear he’s avoiding a public melodrama. Garoppolo reached out to Lance via text message after he was drafted to welcome the rookie.
“It’s kind of full circle,” Garoppolo said during an appearance on ESPN Radio’s “Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin” Tuesday. “Tom (Brady) kind of showed me the ropes. The competition between us was awesome. Really made me grow as a rookie and a young player. So it’s kind of what me and Trey, we’ll mold our relationship into that, but it will happen naturally. It’s one of those things (where) you can’t force anything, just let it come as it may.”
Garoppolo now finds himself in a similar position Brady was in after the Patriots made Garoppolo the heir apparent by drafting him in the second round in 2014, when Brady was approaching his 15th season at age 37.
It allowed Garoppolo to learn from Brady while he cut his teeth in the league. But only one player could start. When it was clear Brady wasn’t going anywhere and still playing at a Super Bowl level, Garoppolo had to be shipped out because the Patriots couldn’t justify paying two quarterbacks on non-rookie contracts. Garoppolo at that point earned the right to become a starter elsewhere. So he was dealt to San Francisco midway through the 2017 season just before his rookie contract expired.
Garoppolo and Lance share similarities coming into the league albeit at different points in the draft. Garoppolo played at Eastern Illinois, also in the FCS, but wasn’t a touted prospect. He was drafted 62nd overall, 59 spots later than Lance.
“I try to use my own personal experience, just what I went through, what helped me, what challenged me as a young player, and so I’m going to try to use those tools that helped me, and trying to help Trey out,” Garoppolo said. “It’s hard coming into this league, I know how it was from an FCS school the NFL. It’s a bit of an adjustment. … It’s just different. Whatever I can do to help him, I’ll be more than happy.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported since Lance was drafted the 49ers believed Lance was the smartest quarterback in the class, which is notable given Alabama’s Mac Jones wore the moniker as the most “NFL ready” of the prospects.
Lance played in a similar offensive system to Shanahan’s at North Dakota State and is entering a unique situation for a rookie signal caller. He’ll play behind an offensive line featuring four former first-round picks (and likely a second-round pick in rookie guard Aaron Banks) with George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel to throw to, and one of the league’s premier rushing attacks. There might not be a more favorable situation for a rookie quarterback in recent memory.
The 49ers have said they’re content with paying Garoppolo’s $24 million salary regardless of who ends up starting. But that same base salary is likely a reason Garoppolo hasn’t been traded. The market appears cool on Garoppolo coming off his injury-plagued 2020 season, particularly since teams like the Bears and Patriots drafted first-round quarterbacks. Talking Garoppolo up as a possible starter certainly won’t hurt his trade value.
But it might take a trade in which the 49ers agree to pay a portion of Garoppolo’s salary, similar to the deal last week sending Teddy Bridgewater from the Carolina Panthers to the Denver Broncos. Carolina picked up $7 million of Bridgewater’s salary while Denver will pay $3 million. The final year of his contract was eliminated, which could also make sense for Garoppolo, who’s signed through 2022 making $24.1 million and $24.2 in base salaries over the next two seasons.
Shanahan has maintained he wants to see Lance on the practice field before making any determinations about how he stacks up with Garoppolo. Lance is slated to begin participating in his first rookie minicamp in two weeks.
“I’d be excited about that if he showed he was ready for it and stuff, but we know where Jimmy’s at,” Shanahan said. “(Lance) hasn’t played football in a year. He hasn’t been to an OTA. I’d love to get him out here. ... So, we’ll play that by year, but I expect Jimmy to be here and I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.”
Shanahan also said for months he expected Garoppolo to the be his 2021 starter before investing three first-round picks in his replacement. Surprises happen.
The real surprise would come if Lance doesn’t become the starter during the first half of the season, perhaps as early as Week 1.
— The 49ers on Tuesday were assigned an offensive lineman from Mexico, Alfredo Gutiérrez, as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.
Gutiérrez grew up in Mexico before coming to the US to attend high school and junior college. He joined Tec de Monterrey on a full athletic scholarship and was on the school’s national championship team in 2019.
The International Player Pathway program aims to get elite international prospects a chance at earning roster spots on NFL teams. Gutierrez will have a chance to remain with the team through training camp and would be eligible for a practice squad exemption during the regular season.
All four NFC West teams are participating in the program in 2021. The Seahawks received German linebacker Aaron Donkor, the Rams will have Italian offensive lineman Max Pircher and the Cardinals will work with Austrian tight end Bernhard Seikovitz.
