"It's stunning" - Rich Eisen laments 49ers' inability to trade Jimmy Garoppolo
Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers are still together, but they're separated while Trey Lance is on the doorstep of starting for the team. This has been the 49ers' awkward position for the last 12 months and, without a change, this will be their future.
One NFL analyst is simply dumbfounded to see the team still stuck between a rock and a hard place 12 months after drafting Trey Lance.
Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, host Rich Eisen asserted that the 49ers need to turn the page and go all-in on Trey Lance.
“Jimmy G [is] really still on the 49ers. I mean, they have to turn to Lance and they've got to give Lance the room to be the guy. Win or lose like that's the way it works when you trade up into the top three of a draft and give up all the draft capital for somebody."
George Kittle said he has not spoken to Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. "He got me an iPhone and never called me back on it," Kittle quipped.
He continued, saying that the team can't continue to run from their new quarterback.
"At some point, you must turn to him and go with whatever flow occurs and not have him look over his shoulder. It's that simple, I think. But it's stunning to me. It's stunning to me that it's a possibility, really, the Niners haven't turned the page from Jimmy G…"
New #49ers Qb coach Brian Griese is working closely with Trey Lance, Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy. He has not had any communication with Jimmy Garoppolo, he said.
Eisen went on, saying that no matter how long they wait, the young quarterback is still going to have his fair share of learning pains.
"[With Lance] In year three, [they’re hoping there] won't be the ups and downs that they were trying to avoid in year two, because Garoppolo was still there. I mean, there's still lumps to be had. Right? I mean, and the sooner you get them out of the way, the better it is long term for everybody. Usually, that's the way it goes.”
Jimmy Garoppolo in recent years
The Jimmy Garoppolo has played five seasons with the team, but has only had two full seasons. When healthy, the 49ers have been able to be as good as any team in the NFL.
In 2021 and 2019, when the quarterback was able to play a full season, the team made it to the Super Bowl and the NFC championship game.
However, it has been a coinflip as to whether the quarterback can remain healthy. Since the start of 2018, the quarterback could have played in 65 regular season games. Garoppolo has played in 40 of them. Most agree that the spotty attendance record was the reason behind the drafting of Trey Lance.
That said, with Garoppolo able to stay on the field in 2021, the decision to move on became that much more difficult. Will the 49ers stick with the veteran quarterback for yet another season or take a shot in the dark with Trey Lance? They did it once in the NFL Draft, but now face the same decision once again.