Trey Lance said this week, after the 49ers announced the return of Jimmy Garoppolo on a revised contract, that “nothing’s changed.” That’s not quite true.
The depth chart certainly has changed.
Lance is the starter, and Garoppolo returns as the backup.
So what happens when Lance struggles? Do the 49ers turn to Garoppolo?
General Manager John Lynch said the team is committed to Lance as the starting quarterback, which isn’t, of course, a guarantee that the 49ers wouldn’t replace Lance.
“Kyle [Shanahan] makes those decisions, who plays at quarterback and when,” Lynch said Friday on KNBR, via 49erswebzone.com. “And I know Kyle. Just like we’ve stated many times, we’re very committed to Trey Lance. We’ve got a lot of belief in Trey.
“And it’s nice to know that we have a couple of guys, with Jimmy and then Brock Purdy, who earned his way onto this roster. We feel really good about a position where it’s good to be strong at.”
Lance started only two games last season as a rookie after starting one game at North Dakota State in 2020. Garoppolo led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game two of the past three seasons, with San Francisco advancing to the Super Bowl in 2019.