The San Francisco 49ers have been saying all offseason that they intend to keep Jimmy Garoppolo, and general manager John Lynch insists nothing has changed.
Lynch said on Colin Cowherd’s show Tuesday that he and Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan still have great relationships with Garoppolo. He said the team was upfront with Jimmy G. all offseason about their pursuit of a quarterback in the draft and that they remain committed to him.
“(I told him), ‘We don’t want you to go anywhere,'” Lynch said, via David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “‘We want you to be here, and our ownership has made the commitment that we can do that. We can fit it in our cap, and we think it’s a good situation for you; probably not the one you ultimately want to hear.”
Although the 49ers drafted Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick, Lynch says he told Garoppolo that does not necessarily mean his days with the franchise are numbered.
“I’m sure you want to be the long-term guy. There’s a flip side to that. You still could be,'” Lynch says he told Garoppolo. “Because he’s going to have a chance to compete and earn that job, and we’re just going to let that play out. But Jimmy’s a really good football player.”
Lance is a raw prospect, so the Niners’ plan is seemingly to have him sit for a while behind Garoppolo. Although, Shanahan recently left the door open for the rookie to win the starting job.
Shanahan has sent some mixed signals about Garoppolo’s status with the team, and we would be surprised if the QB remains in San Francisco beyond this year. We also know how quickly things can change in the NFL, so we don’t blame them for keeping their options open.
