"The whole thing is fraught with terror" - San Francisco 49ers legend Steve Young weighs in on Jimmy Garoppolo-Trey Lance situation
Jimmy Garoppolo's relationship with the San Francisco 49ers promised to be a tense one since the 2021 NFL Draft.
With the third pick in the first round, the team selected quarterback trey-lance" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trey Lance; a clear sign that Kyle Shanahan does not trust Garoppolo.
Steve Young weighs in on Jimmy Garoppolo's 49ers future
After Week 1, former 49ers and Hall of Fame QB Steve Young expressed his thoughts about Garoppolo's situation on Wednesday's KNBR's "Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks."
"The whole thing is fraught with terror, right? As we said before in the offseason, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan could not have screamed any louder to any of us.
"They went all in, in a year they thought they'd have a shot, to go from 12 to the top five, for the generation that is going to be John and Kyle's signature. They decided we don't want Jimmy to be our quarterback… but yet here we are."
The legendary QB went on with his opinion about the Garoppolo-Lance situation:
"So when I say fraught with terror, it's because Jimmy is such a great guy, and he's so beloved in the locker room, and he's successful and wins, that he's going to continue with just play it out.
"But you've got to understand the trajectory of what's the underpinnings of that decision that happened in the spring. They are going to play Trey Lance. They're going to force the issue. Win or Lose."
Asked if the Garoppolo-Lance situation reminded him of the Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes a couple of years ago in the Kansas City Chiefs, Young answered:
"I agree with what Andy [Reid] did with Patrick. Patrick would agree with it as well. I agree with it as a plan. The awkwardness is that Alex Smith, he played that season for his job -- not to leave, he believed he was going to be the guy for a long time. And they let him believe that.
"What are they doing here? That's why I'm telling you it's fraught with terror because what have they told Jimmy? Like 'play as hard as you can and you're going to go,' or 'no, Jimmy, you can still save your job.' I think that's what is so hard.
"And I'm not against the creative tension because they are both good guys. Trey and Jimmy are great guys. However this works out, it will be the best for the 49ers. I just feel for Jimmy to be sitting in this space where he doesn't know what is going to happen."
Young also raised the following question and offered advice to 49ers and their fans:
"I think they'll look for more and more opportunities to put Trey in because, in the end, that's what they've spoken that they're going to do. And that's why I say it's fraught with terror because, wait a second, what if Jimmy goes undefeated? Wins a Super Bowl?
"I think it's going to be fascinating, but the underpinnings of that decision the spring, you need to hold tight too because they are holding tight to it, they are not going to just forget that they went all-in for Trey Lance."
Was Trey Lance drafted because Jimmy Garoppolo cannot stay healthy?
It is worth remembering that since his first full season as a starter for the San Franciso 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo only played 16 games once, in 2019.
In 2018 he played only three games before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. In 2020, Garoppolo battled an ankle injury and played only six games before being placed on the injured reserve list.