On Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport and others reported that Trey Lance would become the 49ers’ starting quarterback soon if the losses continued to pile up. The report was significant because leaks of this nature just haven’t happened during the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era. It pointed to the 49ers’ brass sending a message through the media that Garoppolo needed to step up his game.
That’s what Garoppolo did on Sunday, playing solid football while leading the 49ers to a win over the Chicago Bears. So, where does the quarterback situation stand now? Rapoport expanded on his report when he joined KNBR Monday morning.
“From what I understand, Trey Lance is expected to start this year, especially if the losses continue to come,” Rapoport said on KNBR. “If the 49ers win some games and get back in the playoffs, and sort of in the playoff conversation, then I think Jimmy will start out there. If they get to a point where the season is about the future and not the present, then Trey Lance will start, and the development will begin, and then that will be that.
“I think, more so than ever, they really would like to keep Jimmy out there when they are relevant.”
For now, the 49ers remain relevant. At 3-4, they are just a half game out of the final playoff spot in the NFC with 10 games remaining. Although they have two games vs. the Rams and a game vs. the Cardinals still on their schedule, they also have upcoming matchups vs. the Vikings, Jaguars, Falcons and Texans that seem very winnable.
“If they can win games and get themselves back on the right side of this thing, I like the idea of not pressuring Trey Lance,” Rapoport said. “Just kind of using him in spots to get acclimated and ease his way into the NFL. It’s a great idea. I don’t know that they’re going to have the luxury of doing that. If the losses stack up, then they probably won’t.
“But if they win, I do appreciate the idea of handling the development carefully for a guy who’s going to be around, hopefully, for them, 10 or 15 years.”
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Listen to the full interview below.