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A new report suggests that the 49ers are not all-in on first round draft pick Trey Lance quite yet. Instead, there is a scenario where they could hang on to Jimmy Garoppolo for another year or longer.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport mentioned the possibility of a return to San Francisco while talking on NFL Gameday Sunday morning.
“Jimmy Garoppolo starts for the San Francisco 49ers today which is still crazy when you think about what happened this offseason, when both sides said goodbye to each other assuming that Jimmy Garoppolo would get traded. Instead, of course, we know they wound up reaching a deal.
He’s expected to be one of the hottest free agents. Could that free agency lead him back to San Francisco? Sources tell me that both Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers are open to him coming back to San Fran in 2023 under the right circumstances.”
Rapoport goes on to say that while a deal has not been discussed, the thought would be that a short-term agreement would suit both parties best.
For San Francisco, this would give Trey Lance a bit more time to learn on the sidelines while giving them a steady option under center in the meantime. Garoppolo led the Niners to the NFC Championship Game last year, and a return is certainly well within the crosshairs for the current team.
While that’s all good in theory, it’s quite the opposite of what was planned heading into 2022.
Garoppolo and the team essentially split, with each side just waiting for a trade suitor to come calling. That call never came, and in the end, the passer settled back in San Francisco. This time, as a reserve.
Some hinted that Trey Lance was upset about Jimmy Garoppolo’s return even though he was given the keys to the offense as the franchise publicly announced that it would go all-in on its top pick of the 2021 Draft.
Unfortunately, Lance struggled in a season opening loss to the Bears before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 2. Garoppolo has re-assumed the role of starter, leading the 49ers to the top spot in the NFC West standings.
That success, combined with a lengthy recovery for Lance, has obviously given the front office something to think about moving forward. Garoppolo was an unwanted safety net option in 2022. That narrative has completely flipped as the season’s worn on.
For Lance, it has to be devastating development as he now appears to be headed back to the bench just one year after finally taking the reins. This will be an interesting storyline to follow in the coming offseason.